2024 Healthcare Advocate Summit Recap
By Ailene Gerhardt, MA, BCPA, CSA®, Founder, Beacon Patient Solutions LLC & Navigating Solo Network
Host, The Navigating Solo™ Podcast
FOR ADVOCATES, BY ADVOCATES! ™
The Healthcare Advocate Summit was created for Advocates by Advocates. This Summit is the premier event for any stakeholder involved in medication patient access, navigation, reimbursement, and advocacy. The Healthcare Advocate Summit recognizes that advocates working directly with patients/clients and healthcare staff can provide critical insights for improving the patient journey and outcomes.
In 2024, the organizers of the Healthcare Advocate Summit continued their partnership with the Coalition of Health Care Advocacy Organizations (CHCAO) to offer Independent Patient and Health Care Advocate Education during the September 2024 Healthcare Advocate Summit held this year in Las Vegas, Nevada!
This event brought the independent advocate national community together in person for top-notch programming aimed at building skills and setting the tone for the future of Professional Patient and Health Care Advocacy. In addition, the Summit served as a prime opportunity to grow and spread awareness of independent advocacy and Board Certified Patient Advocates (BCPA).
Education Sessions:
A variety of Independent Healthcare Advocacy focused education sessions were offered during 2024 Healthcare Advocate Summit. Topics included Health Literacy, How to Make a Living in Independent Healthcare Advocacy, Advance Care Planning, Empowering Client through Financial Education, Transitions of Care, Eliminating Health Inequities, Increasing Access, Advocating for Veterans’ Health, Navigating Ethics and Privacy Concerns in your Community, and much more!
Read about the full slate of offerings here!
Patient and Health Care Advocacy: Results of a Job Task Analysis
Left to Right: Rebecca Green, Heidi Kummer, Danielle Marshall
On Wednesday morning, September 4, a panel session provided an overview of the results of the Job Task Analysis and the resulting practice framework and model. The Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB) is the national certification body for patient and health care advocacy professionals. The mission of PACB is to serve the public interest by advancing patient and health care advocacy professional practice through evidence-based certification standards and the validation of knowledge essential for effective practice. In service of this mission, a Job Task Analysis (JTA) was designed and conducted as the first formal study of individuals working in the rapidly emerging profession of patient and health care advocacy, and provides the first detailed overview of the job-related competencies required to perform as a patient or health care advocate.
The JTA identified and validated tasks and knowledge important in the work performed by patient and health care advocates. The results will be used to create test specifications to guide the development of new versions of the BCPA exam. The study results also served as a framework to develop a conceptual model to guide content selection and design for educational curriculum and for continuing education for re-certification.
Read the Job Task Analysis Report here!
Poster Sessions:
On Thursday, September 5, day two of the Summit, Poster Sessions were held midday! Topics highlighted include Navigating Solo Aging, Data Collection, Patient Safety, Care Affordability, Legislative Advocacy, Trauma Informed Anti-Racist and Anti-Bias Training.
I had the opportunity to present my poster entitled “Meeting The Unique Needs of Aging Adults Navigating Solo” highlighting the planning needs of solo agers and offering suggestions on how patient/health care advocates, and allied professionals, can offer support and services for self-identified solo agers.
Exhibit Hall and Independent Advocate Lounge:
Midday Thursday and Friday morning, Summit attendees had the opportunity to explore the Exhibit Hall which included the Coalition of Health Care Advocacy Organizations (CHCAO) table and the GNA Lounge, designed as a hangout for advocates! Take a look around below!
I had wonderful conversations with those that passed by while I was helping staff the Coalition of Health Care Advocacy Organizations (CHCAO) table!
Advocate of the Year:
During the September 6, Friday morning opening session, honorees for Advocate of the Year were recognized in the following categories: Healthcare Facility Advocate, Private Practice Advocate, Pharmacy Based Advocate, and Independent Patient and Health Care Advocate.
The Advocate of the Year is an awards initiative that recognizes the contributions being made across the field by rising stars and emerging leaders working as Healthcare Advocates.
2024 Independent Healthcare Advocate recipient Emily Bernstein was honored and previous winners were acknowledged as well! It was wonderful to spend time and take pictures with 2022 recipient Jeff Byars, my 2023 award co-recipient Rebeka Acosta, and newly “crowned” 2024 recipient Emily Bernstein.
Independent Advocate of the Year Award Winners:
2022: Jeff Byars, 2023: Ailene Gerhardt & Rebeka Acosta, 2024: Emily Bernstein
Networking and Catching Up With Friends:
There is no way to adequately summarize my amazing experience at the 2024 Healthcare Advocate Summit via images or narrative (although I have tried)!
Congratulations to Healthcare Advocate Summit organizers Melissa Paige and Elizabeth Johnson and the entire Healthcare Advocate Summit team, including my Coalition of Health Care Advocacy Organizations (CHCAO) colleagues, for creating an energizing and engaging conference filled with fascinating sessions, great opportunities to connect with and learn from others, and ample ways to share our passion for healthcare/patient advocacy!
Connect With Us: When the complexity of your healthcare situation is too challenging to navigate on your own, working with an independent board certified patient advocate can help cut through the “red tape,” reduce complications, and offer peace of mind at an emotional time. Contact Ailene to learn more about the value of working with a private patient advocate.