Healthcare in Full Color: The Power of Patient Advocacy

No one's life is black-and-white. Their medical care shouldn't be either.

A person's healthcare is deeply personal, but the system it's delivered through is decidedly not. Our Patient Advocates serve as the missing link between clinical care, finances, coordination, and the real world—giving patients the support and resources they need to make healthcare work for their unique situation.

Patients deserve to be treated like people first. Whether it’s coordinating with providers to make sure patients understand their care plans, finding community resources to reduce their social risk factors, providing behavioral health support, or coordinating care with community specialists, Patient Advocates extend the reach of healthcare into patients’ daily lives.

See how healthcare for real life gets results.

We performed a 2-year study comparing data from before the implementation of Patient Advocacy to after the implementation of Patient Advocacy at one of our sites. Here's how care was improved for patients.

Access & Satisfaction: While all our dedicated care team members contributed to the overall improvements in patient care, the addition of a Patient Advocate accelerated and sustained these results:

• 3% increase in Net Promoter Scores
• 9% increase in kept appointment rates
• 8% increase in chronic care services
• 8% increase in number of visits

Appointment Wait Times: Patients wait an average of 24 to 32 days for specialist appointments.¹ During our study period, the average specialty appointment wait time was 7 days—40% sooner than the typical wait time for some of the most common specialties.

Patient Engagement: Patient engagement rose 17% in just 6 months of implementing Patient Advocacy. By the end of the study, the Patient Advocate had achieved 95-100% engagement for all chronically ill employees.

Everyone should have access to healthcare in full color—especially in their darkest moments.

We are committed to standing by our patients in their hour of deepest need and fighting for their greatest good no matter what. We'll continue to grow, develop, and expand Patient Advocacy so its power reaches as many people in as many locations as possible.

1. https://www.merritthawkins.com/uploadedFiles/MerrittHawkins/Content/Pdf/mha2017waittimesurveyPDF.pdf