Dr. Danielle West, ND - Patient Advocate

Click here to edit subtitle

"Patient Advocate" is a very broad title that encompasses many types of patient advocacy services. Dr Dani Patient Advocate offers both personal and corporate services. Personal services are detailed below.


JUST ADDED: INSURANCE ASSISTANCE: 
Dr. Dani's patient advocacy services can help you make sense of your insurance claims, provide payment and reimbursement audits, and interceded with your insurance company and physician to maximize your health care benefit coverage; including expediting the pre-approval process for necessary procedures.

Additionally, Dr Danielle West-Stellick, ND provides the following medical advocacy options within the realm of medical intercession:


Case Management - particularly effective for patients with multiple health challenges and/or who require the assistance of multiple doctors provides medical intercession services;


Research assistance - after a diagnosis is made, helping you understand what tests are being ordered and why, what medications you are prescribed will achieve and what you can expect, checklists of questions prepared for each subsequent doctor's visit, and information on what other doctors are most likely to be involved;


Direct patient advocacy - also particularly effective for those individuals who need someone to speak for them, with only their best interests in mind. This may take the form of accompanying you to doctor's visits or the emergency department, interpreting doctor/patient recorded conversations, contacting doctor offices after-hours to secure the most appropriate and immediate help required, assuring simply paving the way for the provision of required services at the emergency department. All of these are critical services for all patients despite the diagnosis. They are all the more important for those individuals with multiple conditions, those with physical and emotional challenges, and those with  rare or lesser well-known disorders.


This type of advocacy requires knowledge of the healthcare system, and a medical background. Advocates who provide medical assistance can help review diagnoses, treatment options, medical records and test reports, they may accompany a patient to appointments, monitor the patient at the bedside in a hospital or be a good choice for a healthcare proxy. As such, my healthcare practice background as a doctor working with patients with specialized needs positions me well to advocate for you. 


Typically Dr West-Stellick will work in a one-on-one relationship between a patient and the advocate, although in some cases the advocate may also work with the patient's family or others involved in the patient's care, too. As a doctor, my medical knowledge allows the ability to intercede for the patient to help guide the process between patient and ultimate successful treatment, often explaining the situation to medical teams or coordinating care when the patient can't or the patient is at a loss for the proper way to explain it in order to get the results, doesn't know how to manipulate the system because they're ignored, misinterpreted, frightened of the doctor and their disorder so they can't explain things properly or rationally without emotion, and so forth. Essentially someone who'll fight your fight for you when you can't be your own best resource... I won't be placated, I won't be ignored, I speak their speak, and I can be intimidating and relentless when I need to be, when I'm fighting for your rights and health.

Our patient advocacy services are established with a specific organizational flow to maximize effectiveness and preparedness.
First consultation
During the first consultation, your health issues and comprehensive history are reviewed and documented your major and minor health needs and routines are reviewed and documented, and all current and past prescription use is reviewed and documented. Your experiences with the medical system are also reviewed and documented, along with potential reasons why care was provided or denied. 

Based upon this, a booklet, "ME ON THE INSIDE," is prepared and delivered to you that will provide a detailed explanation of what your most pressing health issue really is about, what diagnostic tests will and will not provide information to a physician in case of an emergency, and essentially serve as a snapshot of you and your disorder to quickly bring someone new to you and new to healthcare, (such as a resident or intern on rotation through the Emergency Department), or a nurse or nurse practitioner, or a new doctor a detailed yet easy to understand and organized picture of you. 

Second and subsequent consultations 
These are typically provided on a situation-by-situation/as needed basis (such as a hospitalization or when surgery is recommended and questioned), or if another disorder presented that requires another "ME ON THE INSIDE" be prepared for you. Other examples might be when you need to assemble a medical care team and coordination is required, or specialized and after hours care is required and you are not getting the response you need from answering services or on-call physicians.

One-off's
Sometimes the need presents for parents to fight the school system regarding food allergies, dietary limitations, health or medical challenges or activity limitations placed upon the child due to medical concerns. Our services extend to providing support in this area and assuring your child is properly cared for while NOT in your charge in the school system, and that you and/or your child is not stigmatized by school officials.

Patient advocacy services for your attorney in a legal action
Often times when facing issues from a disability claim or lawsuit, or even divorce and custody proceedings, information that attorneys or judges can readily understand, is lacking. While we provide these services in the legal industry as part of our corporate service offerings, they are included here as well. It may be you that brings the option of how a a simple, doctor prepared, easy to understand document can provide the missing link to demonstrate, for example, that a mother is not limited by her illness and can take care of her children. Please contact Dr. West-Stellick for a sample document. 


Other types of patient advocacy that may be added in the future include home health assistance, elder and geriatric assistance, and legal assistance.

IMPORTANT NOTE: As a patient advocate, Dr West-Stellick does not provide medical care, naturopathic care or any other form of assisted medical care. Services are strictly as your patient advocate with the outside world.