Certificate

In June of 2014 I completed the UCLA Patient Advocate Certificate program earning my certificate “with distinction.”

The curriculum consists of of eight 10-week courses. Typically every week for each course, students must submit two written contributions to an online. In addition students must submit an essay on the week’s topic which is graded by the instructor. Finally, there are exams or multi-week projects required in each course.

Here is a week-by-week look at the weekly topics for all of the courses:

Health Care Law and Legal Issues in Patient Advocacy

Our nation’s health care providers and delivery systems operate under an array of complex state, and federal laws that are ever changing. Patient advocates need a current working knowledge of the laws and regulations involving patient rights and responsibilities. Taught by experts in health law, this course presents the fundamental legal structure that affects the delivery of health care in the United States.

Week 1: Overview: What Patient Advocates Should Know About the Law & Legal System and Why
Week 2: Introduction to the US Legal System
Week 3: The Physician/Provider and Patient Relationship
Week 4: Medical Records Basics and Ownership
Week 5: Informed Consent, Mental Competency/Mental Capacity
Week 6: Patient Confidentiality and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Week 7: Health Care Proxies, Guardianships/Conservatorships, Power of Attorney
Week 8: Mediation and Negotiation: Reaching Agreement, Resolving Disputes Advocating with Health Insurance Companies
Week 9: Ethical and Bioethical Issues Related to Patient Advocacy
Week 10: Elder Care, Long Term Care and End of Life Issues
Required Textbook: Medical Law and Ethics (4th Edition), Bonnie F. Fremgen
Required Textbook: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, William L. Ury
Required Textbook: The California Patient’s Guide: Your Health Care Rights and Remedies

Fundamentals of the U.S. Health Care System

This course provides an overview of the health care system. Students receive a foundation for understanding health care delivery systems, health insurance policies, benefits, and costs in order to assist patients and providers in navigating the intense, dynamic, and complex U.S. health care system.

Week 1: Access to Care in the U.S. Health Care System
Week 2: Commercial Insurance Markets
Week 3: Public Sources of Coverage: Medicaid & CHIP
Week 4: Public Sources of Coverage: Medicare
Week 5: Financing of the Health Care System
Week 6: Health Care Delivery in the United States
Week 7: Cost Containment and Managed Care
Week 8: Quality of Care
Week 9: Patient Safety
Week 10: Health Policy and Reform Efforts

Required Textbook: Jonas and Kovner’s Health Care Delivery in the United States, 10th Edition, Springer Publishing, 2011.

The Practice of Patient Advocacy

This course covers the professional scope of practice, role delineation, and job functions the patient advocate. Students learn how to work and communicate with clients of all ages from a wide variety of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. Students learn how to function as a team member with doctors, nurses, administrators and social workers in a hospital or clinical setting.

Week 1: Historical Perspective on Patient Advocacy
Week 2: Defining Patient Advocacy in Healthcare
Week 3: Advocacy in Healthcare: A Growing Profession
Week 4: Patient Rights: Empowering Diverse Patient Populations
Week 5: Cultural Competence and Communication in Hospitals
Week 6: Overview of Human Development
Week 7: Special Considerations with Pediatric Populations
Week 8: Patient Advocacy with Mental Health Services
Week 9: Family Systems and Grief Theories
Week 10: Self Care and Mindfulness in Advocacy Practice
Required Textbook: Jansson, Bruce A. (2010). Improving Healthcare through Advocacy. Wiley and Sons. ISBN: 047050529X

Communication Strategies in the Health Care System

In their role as liaison, patient advocates often communicate with the health care team about patient satisfaction, emergent complaints, access to care, insurance issues, and other matters of importance to patients and families. This course teaches the critical skill-set necessary to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing when advocating in the health care setting.

Week 1: Organizational Context of the Patient Advocate
Week 2: Your Role: Advocate, Change Agent, or Both?
Week 3: Communication Basics for the Helping Professions
Week 4: Supporting Patients and Families in the Healthcare Setting
Week 5: Grievance Management Essentials
Week 6: Helping Patients and Families Advocate for Themselves
Week 7: Communication Challenges in our Complex Health System
Week 8: The Advocate’s Role in Resolving Conflict
Week 9: Additional Communication Topics
Week 10: Summation and Lessons Learned

Introduction to Health Care Finance

Patient advocates may be called upon to answer questions and provide resources to assist patients and family members with financial matters. This course outlines the fundamental concepts, knowledge, and skills necessary to discuss aspects of private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, how to navigate third-party payer systems, and how to identify resources for the uninsured.

Week 1: Financing health care in the U.S. – payers and players
Week 2: Health care settings and business basics
Week 3: Estimating costs and provider pricing decisions
Week 4: Basic insurance concepts and characteristics
Week 5: Third-party payers and managed care organizations
Week 6: Alternative reimbursement methods
Week 7: Billing processes and the elements of a provider bill
Week 8: Questioning or challenging a bill or reimbursement
Week 9: Personal accountability and payment for services
Week 10: Financial support processes and programs
Required Textbook: Green, M.A. & Rowell, J.C. (2013). Understanding Health Insurance: A Guide to Billing and Reimbursement.

Conflict and Crisis Management

This course teaches skills that are effective in resolving conflicts and crises involving patients, family members and providers. The ultimate goal in conflict resolution is to build relationships so that parties involved can reach a resolution that meets individual and shared needs, resulting in mutual benefits. Students study the knowledge and skills required to promote discussion, problem solving, negotiation, reconciliation, compromise, and resolution among stakeholders in a variety of setting.

Week 1: Overview: What Patient Advocates Should Know About the Law & Legal System and Why
Week 2: Introduction to the US Legal System
Week 3: The Physician/Provider and Patient Relationship
Week 4: Medical Records Basics and Ownership
Week 5: Informed Consent, Mental Competency/Mental Capacity
Week 6: Patient Confidentiality and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Week 7: Health Care Proxies, Guardianships/Conservatorships, Power of Attorney
Week 8: Mediation and Negotiation: Reaching Agreement, Resolving Disputes Advocating with Health Insurance Companies
Week 9: Ethical and Bioethical Issues Related to Patient Advocacy
Week 10: Elder Care, Long Term Care and End of Life Issues
Required Textbook: Gwen van Servellen, Communication Skills For The Health Care Professional: Concepts, Practice, And Evidence, 2ed. (2008)

Introduction to Bioethics

Patients face a variety of options and alternatives in making healthcare decisions. Patient advocates need a working knowledge of ethical issues involving patient, family, and physician rights and responsibilities. This course provides an overview of the ethical and moral questions that arise in the practice of patient advocacy in relation to medical treatment and scientific research.

Week 1: Arguments, Religion, and Relativism
Week 2: Utilitarianism
Week 3: Deontology
Week 4: Health, Disease, and the Role of Medicine
Week 5: Paternalism and Truth-Telling
Week 6: Autonomy and Informed Consent
Week 7: Cultural Diversity and the Obligations of Medicine
Week 8: Abortion
Week 9: Reproductive Technology and Genetic Selection
Week 10: Death, Euthanasia, and Refusal of Treatment
Required Textbook: Lewis Vaughn, Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases (Second Edition)

This capstone course covers the knowledge and skills required to create roadmaps for patient navigation and care planning. Students create a simulated patient case study in the first week of class and develop a care plan and roadmap for navigation. Every 3 weeks students discuss patient cases and resources for care planning with team members.

Week 1: The Art of Conducting Assessments
Week 2: Telling the Story: The Importance of Documentation
Week 3: Correcting Mistakes in Documentation and Considerations in Ethical Conduct
Week 4: Measuring Impact: How do patient advocates know they are making an impact?
Week 5: Developing Best Practices in Patient Advocacy
Week 6: Patient Navigation and Advocacy: One and the Same?
Week 7: Enhancing Your Resource Network
Week 8: Special Topic: Motivational Interviewing
Week 9: Career Perspectives
Week 10: Practical Considerations for Incorporating Self-Care Strategies
Required Textbook: Jansson, Bruce A. (2010). Improving Healthcare through Advocacy. Wiley and Sons.