Patient Advocacy Services in Humboldt County, CA and Beyond

How can an advocate help you?

An advocate’s job is to make the healthcare part of your life easier. Trained as a doctor and certified as an advocate, here are a few ways we can help:

  • Understanding a disease. Having gone to medical school, we’re always eager to learn more. We frequently work to find answers for those with rare diseases, cancer, dementia, autoimmune disorders, as well as common conditions like diabetes or heart disease.

  • Getting the most out of your appointments. Whether you are interviewing a new midwife or following-up with the seventh specialist this month, an advocate can help make the most of the limited time you have with the provider.

  • Decoding your records. Medical “nonsense” can be translated into words you can understand and repeat.

  • Staying safe in the hospital. Many medical errors happen in the hospital because of poor communication. Lost Coast can check in with you and your care team every day from admission to discharge to make sure nothing gets missed.

  • Coordinating care. From finding a doctor or specialist to locating an assisted living facility for a loved one, an advocate can help.

  • Managing insurance. Sometimes, insurers can make getting the care you need more complicated. We have experience in dealing with Medicaid (Partnership, MediCal), private insurance (like Aetna or Blue Cross), dental (Delta Dental, Metlife, etc.), and Medicare. We’re also experienced in shopping for plans and getting insurance to pay with prior authorization or denial appeal.

  • Planning. When someone reaches the end of their life, they often hope certain things will happen. If no plans are in place, outcomes are less sure. Lost Coast is trained and experienced in helping you express your wishes for end-of-life care or emergencies and tell the people who need to know.

  • Connecting to resources. As researchers, we’re great at finding programs and services to help you meet your health goals.

  • Crossing cultural gaps. We are trained in providing culturally competent care to people of all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. If you feel that your values are lost in the business of the clinic and hospital, we can help be sure your wishes are honored.

  • Case management. _____ Coordinating referrals,

  • Appointment accompaniment. We can sit-in (via phone/Zoom) and help take notes about what happened in the appointment, highlight what needs to be done next, and help remind you what you wanted to get addressed.

  • Decision support. We can help you find your values and make decisions about items like how to proceed in your care.

  • Referrals. If you need more support than you are getting, we will recommend government programs and nonprofit organizations that may be of help.

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For Humboldt County Locals

Lost Coast can do all of the above, plus:

  • Meet you in person where you live - we love housecalls!

  • Sit with you in person at your doctor appointments (as well as other meetings). We will take notes and make sure your voice is heard.

  • Visit you in the emergency room, hospital, rehab, nursing home, or hospice. We work with every facility in the region.

  • Tour assisted living and rehab facilities. Imagine being in the hospital and being told that you need to go to a skilled nursing facility. We can help you both understand what that is and pick one that matches your values.

  • Deal with the unique issues of accessing the services you need in our rural county. This includes connecting you to resources, working with your insurance, researching who can help you here, and more.

  • I cannot say enough to express the degree of amazing Dr. Wheeler is! I have a rare connective tissue disease and am used to having to explain it and everything that goes with it, symptom wise that is, over and over again and it gets exhausting! Dr. Wheeler knew all about my disease and actually taught me even more about the science that can occurs in people with it, which was so helpful. Without getting into too much detail I will say this, I had a huge task in front of me when it came to correcting discrepancies in my medical record after being treated at multiple locations and moving to Humbolt County. My doctor told me that a patient advocate may be able to help me navigate the system and I must say not only did Dr. Wheeler help me navigate the system she helped me get results so incredibly fast even my doctors were surprised! If you are in need of help to figure out how to navigate within the Hospital system, especially after being diagnosed with a new disease or a disease in a family member, Dr. Wheeler is not only a extremely intelligent person, she also produces results incredibly fast and will take the time to listen to your concerns, whatever they may be, and fight for you without the biased influence of insurance companies or big fancy hospitals!

    Crista Myers

  • "I have suffered several mysterious TIAs this year, the first one resulted in lower body paralysis for 8 hours. The doctors didn’t know what was going on, and my first experience with a neurologist was horrible and dismissive. I immediately called Lauren after that appointment, who I have worked with before, and to my great delight, she agreed to help me again! Lauren has gone way above and beyond for me. She has attended every appointment with the new neurologist and cardiologist, and has met with me before hand to help me prepare for the appointments, helping me devise questions and a strategy for each appointment. She has also done a lot of her own research about possible causes of my condition. I value her opinion and her support, she has made this scary health journey a lot more manageable!"

    Kate Burrows

How to Work with Lost Coast

1. Schedule a free consult call and see if we’re a fit for each other.

A free 15-20 minute call can let us get to know each other and find out if we can work well together. We'll chat about whatever problems you face with healthcare - communication, advance planning, billing, and much more.

2. Intake appointment and paperwork.

Our next meeting is called an “intake.” During an intake appointment, we discuss your medical issues and how they affect your life. We make a plan, based on YOUR wants, and discuss how many hours will be needed (hourly fee applies). You’ll be asked questions about you, your health, and your current problems and support systems. When we decide to work together, you’ll be sent a service agreement to sign, which tells you everything Lost Coast can and can’t do, how payment, privacy, and communication will work, and more.

3. Ongoing service with regular check-ins.

It’s important to stay in touch throughout this health journey, so we will meet on a regular basis, whether in-person or over the phone, to ensure we’re on the same page each step of the way. These check-ins keep us on track and you’ll always be in charge of your care.

Read our patient advocacy whitepaper here.

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Ask Lost Coast About Speaking!

Lauren Wheeler is available to speak to your group about patient empowerment, staying safe in the hospital, and other advocacy topics.

Never feel alone in healthcare.