Kristin Scheeler

MSSW, CAPSW, OSW-C
Madison Care Management
Kristin

Kristin Scheeler

MSSW, CAPSW, OSW-C
Madison Care Management
Advocate Location
Madison , WI 53711
Specialty
Special Care & Aging
Other Services
Insurance & Billing
TeleAdvocacy Available
Offers FREE Initial Consultation
Call Advocate Email Advocate
*Greater National Advocates Terms of Use Apply
How I Can Help
I have over 20 years as a professional patient advocate as a medical social worker. Comfortable with tele-advocacy and working across the United States.

Let me help you:
- Attend medical appointments as a second set of ears, eyes and notetaker and help you debrief after
- Make a list of informed questions to ask medical providers
- Navigate the healthcare and health insurance systems, including combing through medical bills and calling health insurance companies or helping with health insurance appeals and grievances
- Document your medical wishes and directives with advance care planning tools and advance directive documents
- Gather your family for a group meeting to communicate your health situation, needs and wishes, or to clarify your health or aging situation with the assistance of a neutral third party
- Find specialist providers who will best meet your needs, especially for cancer second opinions or geriatric specialists
- Understand clinical trials and help connect you to information about trials you may be eligible for
- Evaluate your home environment for safety concerns and make recommendations about environmental changes or additional professionals to engage
- Connect you to resources related to your diagnosis or additional care
- Establish your goals of care and find ways to communicate with your medical team to get goals of care met
- Understand end-of-life health trajectories and help you understand what is happening to you or a loved one as the end of life nears
- Understand your rights in healthcare settings, employment settings, and housing

I am especially skilled in working with people with a cancer diagnosis (especially blood, gynecologic and breast cancers or those diagnosed at a young age), those who are aging/geriatric care, those who have Alzheimer's or other dementias, and those with limited understanding of health systems or limited experience with and understanding of health insurance benefits.

I have university and hands-on training in mental health and can assist those facing mental health concerns as well.
Important Information About Me
  • I offer a FREE Initial Consultation
  • I offer TeleAdvocacy Service
  • I am insured
  • My geographical area of practice is Dane County, Wisconsin
Why I Became A Professional Health Care Advocate
When I was an elementary aged Girl Scout (Brownie), I had an "adopted grandparent" I would see with my troop...but then I'd go back and visit her extra, bringing her gifts, bringing my little half sized cello to play for her, and just providing her extra companionship. I had two of these "adopted grandmothers," both of whom lived in a skilled nursing facility and died by the time I finished fifth grade. But I loved visiting them and I believe this is where my passion for working with older adults started. In graduate school, I focused on classes about the death and dying process and how to support those who are grieving. As I progressed in my career, I became more interested in understanding the byzantine systems that comprise Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security and have developed a knack for helping folks navigate these as well as their private medical insurance (I spent a year working as a health insurance case manager at a small health insurance provider in Wisconsin). I love nothing better than a blend of helping folks understand and listening to their stories, as I learned very early in my life that everyone has a fascinating story and has played an essential role in someone else's life, if only you take the time to listen.
Contact Advocate
Formal Education
University of Wisconsin - Madison, MS in Social Work
University of Wisconsin - Madison, BA in Psychology
Additional Skills
I have worked in the following professional settings as a patient advocate:
- nursing home/skilled nursing facility/SNF
- assisted living/CBRF
- family practice
- health insurance
- academic medical center with a level 1 trauma center attached
- National Cancer Institute Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
- community cancer center
- hospice
- national helplines, where advocacy involved multiple health systems and second opinions
- therapy practice, with those with a cancer diagnosis

Populations I'm comfortable working with:
- adults
- anyone facing end of life, including children & infants
- older adults
- solo agers
- those with mental health concerns
- anyone with a cancer diagnosis, especially those with blood cancer, breast cancer, gynecologic (ovarian, vaginal, cervical, fallopian tube) cancers, and young adults with cancer
- anyone in need of help applying for Social Security Disability Benefits
- anyone in need of help understanding medical bills or appealing medical bills or health insurance company decisions
- anyone in need of help understanding how clinical trials work
- those seeking connection to cancer clinical trials information
- anyone in need of symptom management advocacy with the medical team
- LGBTQIA+ community
- those seeking gender affirming care
- adult children of aging adults who need help communicating to their parents or to their parents' medical team
- anyone in need of help understanding Medicare, health insurance, or other benefits
- those seeking assistance with employment concerns - reasonable accommodations, disability, FMLA, leaves
- those living with Alzheimer's or other dementias
Professional Affiliations
Certified Advance Practice Social Worker in Wisconsin (CAPSW), 2005-present
Licensed Master's Social Worker in Arkansas (LMSW)
Licensed Master's Social Worker in New Mexico (LMSW)
Certified Oncology Social Worker (OSW-C), 2014-present
Long time volunteer, leader, and conference presenter with the Association of Oncology Social Workers (AOSW), 2013-present
Member of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplantation Research's Consumer Advocacy Committee (CIBMTR CAC) for 6 years, 2015-2021