Wellness is as individual as each of us. What you need to obtain optimal health may look different than anyone else’s needs. This is all about YOU.

I want you to have what you need to get the best health you can. That relies a lot on having ALL the information you need to make decisions. It also means getting the care you need, in a timely manner, to address your health needs.

As the Founder of Hope Health and Wellness Advocacy, it is my mission to help as many as I can to have the support, guidance and clarity to achieve your goals.

When asked why someone might need a patient advocate, I begin to give the dismal stats of prevalent mistakes happening in our health care system. I’ve not heard anyone ever argue with me that there is a big problem. In fact, they usually give me a story of a mishap that happened to them!

Here are alarming facts from the National Institutes of Health:

Approximately 400,000 hospitalized patients experience some type of preventable harm each year [10].

  • Medical errors in hospitals and clinics result in approximately 100,000 people dying each year.
  • Medical errors typically include surgical, diagnostic, medication, devices and equipment, and systems failures, infections, falls, and healthcare technology.
  • Missed diagnoses or injuries from medication are common in outpatient settings.
  • Most malpractice claims in hospitals are related to surgical errors, whereas most claims for outpatient care are related to missed or late diagnosis.
  • Slightly more than half of the paid malpractice claims are related to outpatient care.
  • To decrease overhead, hospitals often reduce nursing staff; staffing of RNs below target levels is associated with increased mortality.

That information was just about hospitalizations or outpatient care but what about going to your primary or specialist for care?
Here’s what the NIH had to say about that:

Diagnostic errors result in death or injury to 40,000 to 80,000 patients per year according to the Joint Commission. Diagnostic errors are most common in primary care solo practice due to workload and the inability to cross-reference easily with colleagues.

Many of these deaths are preventable. ~ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/
It’s not just deaths that are preventable. Mistakes that don’t kill but can adversely affect you the rest of your life.
Having someone who knows YOU and your case and follows up with the medical team is in your best interest.