Entrepreneur Hub Newcomers Corner

This is a space for those who are newer to independent patient advocacy to gather, make friends, share ideas, ask questions, build a cohort and build community!

Hello from San Francisco: Pancreatic Patient Advocate

Hello everyone, I'm James Anderson, a Pancreatic Patient Advocate in San Francisco. I am a long-term Whipple procedure survivor with exocrine... See More
4 likes
99 views
Mwatabu Mwatabu Terrell 21 hour ago
Welcome, James. Fifteen years of managing your own care and your father's across that many systems is real expertise, and I'd love to connect, since I am also new and my clients often need exactly the kind of organized record you build and yours may sometimes need a physician's read on what's in it. I am located in the Charlotte, NC area. If you 'd like to connect here is my calendar:

link.gethealthstrategix.com/widget/bookings/colleague-connection-call
Jennifer Jennifer Stephens 1 day ago
Welcome James! As I grow my business, my niche is GI cancers. I am in Washington, DC—together we cover both coasts. I would love to connect for 30 minutes to discuss ideal referrals, creating a personal health record, and more.

If interested, you can pick a meeting time at www.care-champions.com/networking
Kelly Kelly Burriss 10 days ago
Nice to meet you, James. I look forward to working with you. Have a wonderful day and thank you for all you do.

Websites

What did you all use for a website, or do any of you collect clients through simply this and then use email for billing? Everywhere I go, they are... See More
3 likes
201 views
Charleen Charleen Peterson Cheng 15 days ago
I use Squarespace for my website. You can't bill perse but you can sell on the website. I bill through my ehr platform Ona Health. The backend is Stripe. If you are just looking to bill Stripe is great for this. You can invoice and create payment links.
Rachel Rachel Bergstein 1 month ago
I purchased my domain name, build an HTML file website using Claude, and then uploaded it through Netlify. It sounds complicated, but it was actually pretty simple. My practice is new and I only have a handful of clients, so I'm only taking payment through Venmo and Zelle, and my business banking account also has a native invoice and payment tool.
Renea Renea Stasaski 2 months ago
For my website, I built everything on WordPress using Elementor, hosted on Hostinger, and paired with Google Workspace for domain management (sonoranwayfinders.com). Elementor gives me complete control over my design without needing an expensive developer, while integrating directly with MailerLite so contact forms and email leads route into my system automatically. For billing, I created a custom spreadsheet tailored specifically to patient advocacy workflows that eliminates the need for expensive accounting software. I built it myself to handle automated time-tracking timers for different clients and automated invoice generation, all completely free without monthly subscription fees. It’s been such a game-changer for streamlining my practice that I’m actually thinking about packaging and selling it to help other advocates simplify their back office, too.

GNA's onboarding more helpful than it has any right to be

If you haven't already, get yourself to an onboarding session, or go back and repeat it. I was taken aback by how incredibly helpful the onboarding... See More
10 likes
621 views
Sofie Sofie Schwartz 2 months ago
Thanks so much Jenn! Onboarding is such an important step in building a strong community of advocates!

And, as always, thanks to AnnMarie for all the great work!
AnnMarie AnnMarie Cross 3 months ago
Jenn,
I'm… speechless.

Thanks so much for your kind words. I'm so glad you found it worth your time, and worth the brief wait.

-AnnMarie

Just launched!

Hi everyone, I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Annie and I just launched my business, Steadfast Advocacy, after obtaining my BCPA credential... See More
7 likes
544 views
John John Bishop 16 days ago
Congratulations

DJB
Val Val Barschaw 2 months ago
Welcome Annie and THANK YOU for your dedication. I am just 100 miles from Seattle — so «hello neighbor» :)
AnnMarie AnnMarie Cross 3 months ago
welcome annie! so glad you're here!

you might also add your intro (its super welcome here) -in the introductios post, wher eyou can read lots of others folks intros also.

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

Introduction

Hello everyone, I am Marsha Scott owner of OHH Health Solutions. I have over 18 years of experience in healthcare revenue cycle management. Fifteen... See More
3 likes
636 views
Tracy Tracy Kersey 3 months ago
Hi Marsha!
Looks like some needed services you are offering.
Are you telephonic or do you provide any onset services?
Thank you!
Kimberlie Kimberlie Williams-Feth, BSW 3 months ago
Marsha, Welcome!
AnnMarie AnnMarie Cross 3 months ago
Marsha,
thanks for sharing this information! We're VERY glad you're here, and its' so cool to hear what you're doing for the caregiver side.

-AnnMarie

D John Bishop

GNA Advocate Members Only
This article is exclusively for registered GNA advocate members. This article is exclusively for registered advocates. Create your free account to continue reading and access our full library of resources..
7 likes
706 views

I'm Kim, and I solve 4 problems in the healthcare system ...

I spent 13 years as a social worker—including Medical Social Work at a Level 1 Trauma Center and in home health—and another decade in... See More
4 likes
674 views
Val Val Barschaw 2 months ago
Great, clear approach Kim. Wishing you the best!
AnnMarie AnnMarie Cross 4 months ago
Thanks so much for being here Kim, and also for being a great volunteer to GNA's Advocacy Support Center team!

Introducing Myself :)

Hi, I'm Sasha, and if we haven't officially met yet, I'm so glad you're here. I've spent over 15 years working inside the healthcare system as a... See More
3 likes
661 views
Dalia Dalia Cabrera 4 months ago
Nice to meet you, Sasha!
I noticed that your work is bilingual and accessible, and your profile also mentions that you understand Spanish, so I wanted to say: Mucho gusto, compañera. Muchas bendiciones para ti y tu familia.
Kimberlie Kimberlie Williams-Feth, BSW 4 months ago
Sasha,

I'm so glad you're here and that you introduced yourself! I now realize I never introduced myself, so I'm going to do that now! Kim
AnnMarie AnnMarie Cross 4 months ago
Sasha,
THANK YOU for such a great introduction! We're so glad you're here. we hope you find helpful information and connection with us here.

Virtual appointments

How do you all navigate a virtual appointment? I understand that some systems (like MyChart) allow you to join in if the patient allows you to AND... See More
2 likes
689 views
Sheri Sheri Gaynor 4 months ago
I'm considering using Carepatron. It is HIPAA-compliant and fairly inexpensive. They do offer a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), and I believe you will send an invite to the email address so the client can do the visit on their phone.
Tammy Tammy Krack 4 months ago
I have attended virtual appointments with my client in the past. How I do it is have the facility or doctor send me the link and attend with the client at her home.
Another client calls me and puts me on speaker when the doctor comes into the room to see her.
AnnMarie AnnMarie Cross 4 months ago
Kathaleen, GREAT question! I hope you get lots of response!

I haven't personally done it, but I have spoken with several patients that have had their advocate on the phone during an appointment — letting the provider know that of course upon the provider's arrival.

I'm super curious to see if others have insights as well!