Health Advocates
Overview
Introduction
Health advocates, who are also known as patient representatives and patient advocates, work with and on behalf of patients to resolve issues ranging from getting insurance coverage to dealing with complaints about the medical staff to explaining a doctors treatment plan. In addition to patients, health advocates often interact with physicians, hospitals, health maintenance organizations, insurance companies, and government agencies, to name a few. Advocates are employed by hospitals, nonprofit groups, and other hea...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Although independent patient advocates may have more opportunities to put the patient first, they sometimes gain that freedom at the expense of job stability and a predictable salary. ZipRecruiter.com reports that patient representatives earned median annual salaries of $42,997 in November 2024. Earnings ranged from less than $29,500 to $66,000 or more.
A self-employed patient advocate o...
Work Environment
The type of employment that an advocate pursues largely determines his or her work environment. High-profile advocates striving to improve patient conditions on a national level may travel frequently, deliver speeches and seminars, and even lunch with members of Congress. Patient representatives at hospitals or managed care organizations experience a different work environment: a more standard ...
Outlook
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment in the health care support sector will increase as the population ages and new medical technologies evolve. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor expects that the number of jobs will increase much faster than the average for all careers through 2033. While this figure includes all areas of health care support services, growth in health servi...