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I’ve had this request a few times & have clients who have been comfortable speaking with prospective clients. This assumes I feel I can help the person from my consultation with them, & that it would be a good fit.

I don’t share any PHI & the client can choose if they want the person to call them (so their contact # is shared), or if they want to call the prospective client.

Something you may want to consider for the future is using a (HIPPA compliant) potential client interview form, where you can reveal what the person wants/needs.

This makes excellent use of your time together too...and, don't take this wrong — I also use it to look for red flags. The important thing is being the best «fit» for both of you so you can be at your best.

If a potential client makes me uneasy at the interview stage, I would kindly and firmly let them know I am not their best fit. I might say, «thank you for that question, however it makes me uncomfortable because...(confidentiality, HIPPA or whatever) and give your reason, and see where that leads.

Hope this helps. BTW — You are welcome to grab my interview form from my website :) www.hospitaltohealth.com

I offer a link for clients to leave me a Google review when my services conclude, or earlier if there is a long standing relationship. Leaving a review is their option and what they put in the review is their choice. If I have a client ask for a reference, I send them to my reviews.

Hi Alison,
Welcome to this wonderful advocacy community!!.. I am Sangeeta Buragohain, an Independent Patient Advocate, Physical Therapist / Insurance reviewer by background and a part time advocacy liaison at Greater National Advocates. I specialize in hospital and rehab advocacy.

HI alison! welcome and thanks for introducing yourself!

There's a huge thread of introductions. I'd like to encourage you to add your info there and interact with others in that conversation!

gnanow.org/community/taking-business-to-next-level/general-tbnl/91-welcome-to-pa360-please-introduce-yourselves.html

Hi Alison! Nice to meet you! I am Sofie, and I work at Greater National Advocates as a manager. I don't practice advocacy directly, but I work hard to make sure our advocates get what they need and keep GNA running smoothly!

Hello everyone, I’m Dr. Tabu Terrell, a retired emergency physician and the founder of HealthStrategix, an independent patient advocacy practice based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, just outside Charlotte. I practiced emergency medicine for 14 years and was board certified in the specialty for two decades. Long before I started HealthStrategix, I was the person friends and family called when a diagnosis or treatment plan didn’t make sense to them.

My focus is the difficult middle stretch of an illness: when specialists give conflicting opinions, when a family is facing a hard treatment decision, or when care has become complicated enough that nobody seems to be looking at the whole picture. I help patients and families understand what they’re hearing from their doctors, prepare for appointments, and choose a path that fits their goals. HealthStrategix is direct-pay and independent of hospitals and insurers. I meet with clients in person in Fort Mill and virtually.

I’d love to connect with advocates who focus on billing, insurance appeals, or care coordination, since those clients often need clinical interpretation too, and I’m happy to trade referrals. My site is www.gethealthstrategix.com. Glad to be here!

Hello everyone. My name is Shanequa. I'm reside in NC. I primarily work with complex patients. I'm looking forward to learning from you all.

Hi all! Mallory from the Virginia side of the DMV. I work primarily with complex, chronically ill patients and love a medical mystery! Feel free to reach out to me directly if you have a weird one — I might have some resources or suggestions!

I'm using Carepatron. It's so-so, but gets the job done. I'm planning to consider other platforms as my business grows, but Carepatron has a pretty solid free-tier so I'm finding it to be a good option as a «starter home» so to speak.

A quick sanity check as you weigh options. Skip the portal obsession: Most clients in a health crisis do not want another login, password, and 2FA to manage. They want clear PDF briefs, organized agendas, and clean invoices delivered directly to them.

Audit your true day-one needs: the majority of solo advocacy comes down to four basics: tracking time/retainers, structured encounter notes, medical chronology mapping, and visit agendas. Most everything else is bloated software overhead.

Watch the lock-in: When a platform controls your records, switching later if pricing jumps or support degrades is brutal.

If you're already having a bad experience with a vendor before signing an agreement, trust that instinct. Keeping early overhead near zero and owning your records locally often serves a solo practice far better than renting clinical software.

I use SuiteDash and absolutely love it, they offer everything I need, and as each employee completes the task they need to do it automates to the next hand down, like for example once intake has them onboarded and the consult appointment set it automatically goes to the advocates for care and work.

John!!!
Google workspace includes an e-signature feature and costs less than $30/month!

yes, that helped me very much. I appreciate it.

I use Carepaton. I just started my business and found it very easy to use. It does have a BAA and the client does not need an account to sign the documents I send them. I pay $50 a month. It has an AI script and many templates to use for your notes. Hope this helps!

I wish I could've made this! I really wanted to! I'd love to hear anything you learned that you found particularly interesting or enlightening.

I am looking forward to the upcoming lecture. I have a few questions and thoughts regarding the discussions around AI regulation.

When people advocate for limits on AI, are they primarily protecting society, or could these restrictions inadvertently limit access to a technology that could benefit everyone?

In my experience working with Aphaia, AI served as a tool to help express my own thoughts rather than generating opinions or ideas for me. With my background and education, I view AI as a platform to assist communication while still actively challenging and shaping the content myself.

I look forward to hearing your perspective on these points during the session.

Hi Annie

I am a former SLP and now advocate. Have a good bit of experience with Parkinson’s patients. If you have questions feel free to reach out
Have you checked your local Parkinson’s organizations? I’m sure you have as you helped your mom

Kind regards
Angie Galatas
Medical Advocacy Plus

Hello Annie:

What are you looking for in terms of a mentor?

My background is close to 10 years (1/2027 will be 10) as a registered nurse who, from that perspective, has always advocated for my patients, and I do have experience with loved ones who have Parkinson's Disease as well as Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and related neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases.

I'm relatively new as an independent patient advocate and have my BCPA exam scheduled for Saturday, 10/10.

I've written the following articles that may be helpful:

* compassioncrossing.info/how-to-identify-end-stage-parkinsons-for-hospice-admission/

* compassioncrossing.info/understanding-parkinsons-disease-a-guide-for-families/

* compassioncrossing.info/parkinsons-vs-alzheimers-key-differences-explained/

* compassioncrossing.info/navigating-parkinsons-disease-a-compassionate-guide-to-advance-care-planning-palliative-care-and-hospice-support/

Please do know that my personal business — Compassion Crossing, LLC — at compassioncrossing.info/ covers more than advocacy, and since I don't accept insurance, it is very sporadic for me to obtain clients. Most of my clients to date have been seeking help with value-based advance care planning (which is very different from the traditional method), and I just started working as a 1099 healthcare advocate for Solace Health.

HIPAA and personal privacy always matter, so I'm not sure how mentorship would work.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you.

I am new as well to Advocacy but 40 years previous business knowledge. That is I owned my own place during that time. It would be easier for you to just call me at 513-673-6987

D. John Bishop

I am in Cincinnati Ohio

Where are you located?

Thanks for sharing! And welcome to this space for fellow patient advocates!

This is an awesome background story behind your reason for advocacy

Kim this is a great idea. Although I am not a social worker, I would love to join!

Hi Kim, I would love to join. Please add me to the event list. I look forward to talking soon! — Lauren

This is such a thoughtful and meaningful topic, Kim. You really made me reflect!

I’m not a social work advocate, but I truly enjoy learning from different perspectives and experiences. I’ll work on my list over the next three weeks so I can be ready for your roundtable.

Looking forward to it!

Casandera,
Thank you SOOO much for sharing this!

If you don't mind, I'd love to add a few thoughts…

1. If a newer advocate is looking to get out of their comfort zone, to learn types of things clients ask and to connect with other advocates, please contact me about volunteering with GNA's Advocacy Support Center («ASC»). We aren't a live hotline, but advocates are talking to real clients in need, helping to route them to the best resources.

2. If any advocate ever has a case they need help finding other advocates to consult, to contract under, or to make a warm handoff — again the ASC is here for you. POSTS LIKE THIS ARE IDEAL — and also, you're very welcome to ask our team to do a deep dive search of our directory and look for advocates who have the knowledge you're seeking.

Hav a GREAT day and thanks again for posting!

AI won’t replace patient advocates. But advocates who use AI will replace those who don’t. You don't need to become a tech genius, you just need to know how to use these tools securely, ethically, and efficiently to protect your time and your practice.

My course, «AI? Piece of Cake,» is built specifically for our profession with zero fluff and straight-to-the-point workflows. Bonus: it earns you 2.0 JEDI CE credits. You'll also qualify for Sonoran Wayfinders' digital badge, Responsible AI Advocate.

Renae, thanks so much for sharing this informative pst. I hope others will ask questions or share what's working for them!

Hello,
First allow me to preface that I am not giving legal advice — that is for attorneys only. But I have a healthy background in the legal system and my belief is that you can be deposed...period. You do not have doctor/patient protection, clergy/congregant protection or attorney/client protection.

Here's what I would do, if it were me and I truly believed the client and I are a good fit: Find a good attorney to represent you (not your prospective client) and ask them to advise you if a «Non-Disclosure Agreement» (NDA) could be executed between you and the prospective client such that you would have the ability to refuse to answer any questions posed in a deposition based on the NDA. You would still have to appear if you get a subpoena (and they «should» provide a stipend for your trouble if you have to travel over a certain number of miles...at least that's the case in my State).

So, bottom-line is — ask an attorney and go from there.

Best wishes. Let me know how this turns out for your.

Val Barschaw
Author/Speaker/Advocate… and former Superior Court Clerk