Putting the “Advocate” in Patient Advocate

As you walk through the doors of Health Center 10, one of the first signs that will meet your eye reads “PAP Office (Patient Assistance Program)”. The next thing that will catch your eye is the overwhelming number of people throughout the entire Health Center. With patients filling the lobby before appointments even begin and people lining up to grab a number for the Pharmacy to have their prescription filled, it can be difficult to navigate such a bustling scene. The result of this typically busy environment is that patients will automatically sign into the clipboard for the Patient Assistance Program (PAP) Office.

My service as a Patient Advocate provides me with a unique opportunity in my Health Center to assist my patients in navigating the clinic and services that best fit their needs. I serve to be a resource for our patients that have questions, or may be uncertain about their next step to the best access to care. In a healthcare system so large, I serve to be an extra voice for the patients of Northeast Philadelphia.

As a Patient Advocate with the Philadelphia Health Corps (PHC) serving at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, my role in the Health Center is to ensure the successful administration of the Patient Assistance Program. Through the PAP office, patients can apply to a particular pharmaceutical company that provides patients with their prescription medication at no cost to them. Patients are typically eligible for these services if they have no prescription insurance coverage and if their income meets a certain percentage below the Federal Poverty Line. With the Patient Assistance program at Health Center 10, my fellow PHC member and I have been able to assist a number of patients in applying for these programs.

One thing that I have learned halfway through my service term is that advocating for a patient is not restricted to the guidelines of my position within the PAP office; I have the opportunity to assist the patients of Health Center 10 in a variety of ways. From malfunctioning glucose meters to inquiries about insurance enrollment, the questions that are presented to me change each day.Advocacy can be as simple as a Google search for a patient without the means to do so, or tracking down the appropriate interpreter to assist a patient in communicating his needs. So regardless of the question a patient has, and whether it pertains to my office or not, I am able to navigate the patient in the direction of the answer he is looking for.

Due to the recent Medicaid expansion in Pennsylvania, a number of previously ineligible patients now qualify for health insurance. Because the PAP office patient population primarily consists of uninsured patients, I’ve been able to reach a number of eligible patients and direct them to the Benefits Counselors of the Health Center. My position has allowed me to inform our patients, who otherwise were unaware that they were eligible, about this new expansion.

As busy as Health Center 10 can be each day, it can be difficult to reach a specific person working within the clinic. As a Patient Advocate, I can provide an additional connection between a doctor and her patient. By simply checking into our office, a doctor is able to track if a patient is taking and receiving the medications that they were prescribed. This gives the doctors an additional mean of providing their patients with the best care.

Reflecting on the many encounters that I have had with patients halfway through my service term, I’ve realized that helping a patient navigate the healthcare system can mean a variety of things. I’ve found that navigating the healthcare system can be a challenging and confusing process. By serving as an additional resource for patients to ask questions, I am able to assist them in finding answers. As a Patient Advocate, I serve to ease some of the burden for patients who are in pursuit of access to the best possible care.

This post was written by PHC member Caitlynn Quinn.
Caitlynn serves at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health - Health Center #10 as a Patient Assistance Program Advocate.