Independent Advocacy in Action: Why Our Work Matters and Why Healthcare Pushback Won’t Stop Us

Independent patient advocates step into the healthcare system with one purpose: to protect the patient’s rights, voice, and well‑being. We are not employed by hospitals, clinics, or insurance companies — and that independence is exactly what makes our work powerful, necessary, and, at times, unwelcome.

At Wells Wellness Advocacy Services, we see firsthand how Social Determinants of Health, low health literacy, and systemic barriers impact patient outcomes. But we also see something else: the resistance that arises when an informed, empowered patient has an advocate by their side.

And we refuse to back down.

The Pushback Is Real — and It’s Growing

Advocates across the country experience it, and I have experienced it personally:

1. Being denied information even while the patient is present

I have been on the phone with a healthcare facility while my client stood in the office, fully consenting to my involvement — and still, staff refused to provide basic information needed to support her care. Instead, they demanded clinic names, records confirmations, and unnecessary steps designed to delay or discourage advocacy involvement.

2. Facilities attempting to override state law

I have had a facility tell my client she could not record her appointment. But Georgia is a one‑party consent state. If she is part of the conversation, she can record — regardless of the facility’s preference.

These moments are not misunderstandings. They are symptoms of a system that has forgotten its obligation to “Do no harm.”

Why This Pushback Happens

Healthcare systems are not built for transparency. They are not built for patient empowerment. And they are certainly not built for independent professionals who:

• Ask questions
• Clarify instructions
• Protect patient rights
• Ensure informed consent
• Hold systems accountable

When an advocate enters the room, the dynamic shifts. Patients become informed. Families become confident. Systems lose control of the narrative.

That is why our presence is often met with resistance — and why our work is so essential.

Why We Keep Going

Every time a facility pushes back, it only strengthens my commitment to my clients. I respond with:

• State law
• Patient rights
• Federal protections
• Documentation
• Calm, firm advocacy

Because my clients deserve someone who will not fold under pressure — someone who will stand with them, speak for them, and ensure their care aligns with their values, not the system’s convenience.

Independent advocacy is not a luxury. It is a safeguard.

Why Independent Advocacy Must Be Covered by Insurance

Right now, families who need us most often cannot afford us if they do not have Medicare and Medicare Advantage and with that there are still limitations. That is unacceptable.

Patients should not have to choose between:

• Navigating a dangerous, confusing system alone or
• Paying out of pocket for the support they deserve

Insurance companies cover services that reduce harm, improve outcomes, and prevent readmissions. Independent advocacy does all three.

Covering advocacy is not just ethical — it is cost‑effective, patient‑centered, and aligned with national health‑equity goals.

A Message to the Independent Patient Advocate Community

We all know the truth: Independent advocates are filling the gaps the healthcare system refuses to acknowledge.

We are:

• Reducing preventable harm
• Improving health literacy
• Supporting SDOH needs
• Protecting patient rights
• Ensuring informed decision‑making
• Standing up to systems that resist transparency

And despite the pushback, we continue — because our clients deserve nothing less.

Wells Wellness Advocacy Services stands firmly with every advocate who has ever been dismissed, ignored, or challenged for doing the right thing. We are stronger together, and our collective voice is reshaping what patient‑centered care truly means.

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