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What If?

Your Navigator Through the Healthcare Storm

Article by Adalyn Sinclair

Photography by Julie Ulstrup

Originally published in Greeley Lifestyle

Elaine O'Bleness is living proof that anything is possible. When Elaine underwent two knee replacement surgeries at 71 and 72, and then a knee revision surgery at 72…she found herself waking up feeling all alone…particularly  after the last surgery. She had good family support from her Son, Daughter In Law, and Granddaughter….but there were so many specialists….so many procedures and medicines and therapies….and then COVID!  She kept thinking about the patients that didn’t have the support that she had. Faced with this predicament, Elaine created a service geared towards helping people in similar situations. She saw a gap in the healthcare field that needed to be bridged, thus emerged Health Information and Patient Advocacy Associates (HI&PAA). The primary focus being Patient Advocacy/Navigation, assistance through the complex medical system, and sometimes simply being a companion during health care procedures and appointments.

Elaine triumphantly navigates the complex healthcare system - doing everything from acting as an escort to and from surgeries to dealing with billing, insurance, medical records, and doctor interactions. Her extensive background in health information management ensures that she will safely navigate you or your loved ones through the choppy waters of the healthcare system. She is essentially acting as an Advocate and Navigator for patients. A Patient Advocate is a good resource to have, whether that be because the patient is alone or simply unable to have family or friends care for them. She asks, “What if something happens to a loved one and you can’t be there to help?” HI&PAA is a safe shelter during a healthcare hurricane. For instance, “The advocate does not make decisions. They only do research and present the patient with the options because patient autonomy is number one. You make your decisions; if you were ill and needed a second opinion, needed help the organization of records  and medical bills,  then I as an advocate would research all the [ins and outs] of your disease process, who the experts are in the area, and present that to you as the client and your loved ones to simply offer PEACE OF MIND,” Elaine says.

When the opportunity arose to study and become Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) a long-time dream, she knew it was the right decision. She wanted to help people who had been in similar situations, and with all her experience in the healthcare industry, Elaine is your navigator through the Healthcare Storm. To find out more about Elaine’s Patient Advocacy services for you or a loved one, check out healthinformationandpatientadvocacyassociates.com.

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