Professional Patient Advocate Institute Resource Center

These essential documents assist advocates in patient care, navigation and advocacy, as well as tools to help manage and sustain your business.

HIPAA

• Understanding HITECH and Meaningful Use: With the passage of the HITECH Act, professionals may be entitled to stimulus dollars when implementing health information technology.
• Patient Safety Complaint Package: If you recognize a patient safety issue, this packet will walk you through the process of filing a complaint.
• Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act.
• HIPAA Compliant Form: A document detailing the process if a HIPAA violation is recognized.
• Protected Health Information: A program from Health and Human Services to explain protected health information under HIPAA.
• Medicare Disclosure Form to Release of Information: A form used to advise Medicare of the person or persons an individual has chosen to have access to their person health information.
• Covered Entity Charts: A guide on how to determine which organization or individual is covered under HIPAA's Administrative Simplification provisions.
• HIPAA – Disclosures for Public Health Activities: A legal definition and interpretation of the parameters of the HIPAA Privacy Rule when a situation arises where an individual's health issues may affect the community at large.
• Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule: A complete and thorough explanation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule which assures individuals' health information is properly protected by the law when seeking medical care.

• Key Healthcare Insurance Terms.
• A Consumers Guide to Health Insurance: Complete with answers for individuals with questions about health insurance.
• 1-800 Medicare Billing Questions Fact Sheet: Contact sheet for individuals who have questions about the original Medicare billing process.
• Medicare Summary Notice, Part B: An example of a Medicare summary notice.
• Medicare Summary Notice, Part A: An example of a Medicare summary notice.
• Request for Medicare Hearing by Law Judge: A request form for use by party to a reconsideration determination issued by a Qualified Independent Contractor.
• Reconsideration Request Form: The Medicare reconsideration request form.
• Transfer of Appeal Rights: This form allows individuals to transfer their appeal rights to their healthcare providers for an item or service.
  
• Medicare Appointment of Representative: A form medicare users can use to appoint a representative for them to make requests, present information, elicit evidence and appeal on their behalf.
• Medicare and the New Health Care Law: An insight into Health care Reform.
• Medicare Extra Help: A guide explaining why a new change in the Medicare law helps individuals save more on prescription costs.
• Supplemental Security Income: Understanding Supplemental Security Income.
• 2010 Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare.
• Your Medicare Benefits: Your Medicare Benefits (Parts A and B).
• What Is Medicare? What Is Medicaid?: Medicare and Medicaid, their costs, coverage and everything they have to offer.
• Medicare and You 2010: Understanding Medicare rights, costs, coverage, health and prescription drug plans and health information technology.

• Avoiding Mistakes with Your Medications: The Joint Commission's guide for patients prescribed medication.
• Planning Your Follow-Up Care: Lists of questions for patients to ask physicians about medication and recovery care before they leave the hospital after surgery.
• Speak Up Know Your Rights: A patient primer created by The Joint Commission to help patients understand all of their medical rights.
• A Guide to Long Term Care Housing: A guide book from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid on Long Term Care Planning.
• Legal Guide for the Seriously Ill: A planning guide for those with chronic illness.
• Put it in Writing: Understanding Advanced Directives.
• Long Term Care Planning Guide: Importance of long-term planning.
• So Far Away: 20 Questions for Long-Distance Caregivers: Long-distance caregiving.
• Nursing Home Checklist: Tips for researching nursing homes.
• Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home: Step-by-step plan to assist family and friends in helping an individuals choose a nursing home.

• Laws for Small Business Owners: The Federal Registry is the place where the federal government announces new laws and regulations. Read the latest updates for small businesses.
• 100 Green Small Business Tips: Today the trend is to "go green." Take time to read tips from other business owners who have been successful in going green.
• Guide to SBA Definition for Small Business: A handy toolbook from the Small Business Administration to understand terminology for small business.
• Home-Based Business and Government Regulations: A report from the Small Business Association on Home Based Business and Government Regulations.
• Small Business Resource for Growing a Business.
  
• Sample Client Contract: A contract is a binding agreement that secures your professional services. No legitimate professional should be without one.
• Sample Business Letter Introduction: When you need to make that key introduction, a well-crafted letter can help you achieve your goal.
• Sample Business Letter: A professional business letter is a vital document in your arsenal for a successful enterprise.
• Small Business Checklist: Critical steps when starting your own business can easily be overlooked. It is vital to your success that you to ensure your company is built professionally, legally and efficiently.
• Business Website Tips.

• Marketing for Small Businesses: A primer from the Small Business Association on Marketing for Small Businesses
• Top Networking and Marketing Tips: Successful networking is a crucial aspect of the job for any business owner. Smart and consistent networking can help you find clients—and keep the business process moving forward.
• Sample Press Release: When you need to get the word out on a new service, event, contract or other newsworthy item, a press release can help you up your visibility.
• 5 Steps for a Successful Social Media Campaign.
• Successful Word-of-Mouth Marketing.
• The Next Level of Press Releases: Using SEO.
• The 10 Commandments of a Press Release.
• SEO & SEM: Demystifying Social Media.

• Managing High Blood Pressure.
  
• Diabetic Foot Care.
  
• Managing Diabetes.
  
• Tackling Depression.
  
• Managing Chronic Pain.
• Taking Care of Myself: A Guide for When I Leave the Hospital: A guide that helps you keep track of all the things you need to do when you get ready to leave the hospital; checklists included.
• Be Prepared for Medical Appointments: A checklist of questions for patients to ask their doctors during medical appointments
• Falls Risk Assessment: Prevention and Management.

• Impact of Medication Adherence: A research article from Drug Benefits on Medication Nonadherence.
• Medicaid Prescription Drug Rebate Program.
  
• My Medication List: A tool to provide clients to record medications in one place.
• Medicaid Prescription Reimbursement Info by State: Check this fact sheet for Medicaid prescription reimbursement rates by State.
• Updated Fact Sheet: Medicare Drug Benefit: Medicare Drug Benefit: enrollment data and an update on additional low-income assistance.
• Guide to Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage: A user's guide to Medicare Prescription Drug Plans.
• Patient Assistance Resource Directory: List of companies providing patient assistance programs.
• Bridging the Coverage Gap.

• Value of Project Management in Healthcare Research: A paper describing project management in health care research.
• The Transformational Model for Professionals in Healthcare: A model all professionals can use to improve professional development.
• A guide to value-based approach to the learning process.
  
• Transitions of Care for Professionals: Understanding barriers to care transitions.
• Transitions of Care for Consumers.
  
• Transitions of Care: What You Need to Know.
  
• Transitions of care from the patient's perspective.
  
• Transitions of Care Checklist .
  
• Elements of Excellence in Transitions: A checklist to enhance communication among health care providers, clinicians and caregivers. Includes extensive information about client and client systems.
• National Transitions of Care Coalition.
  
• National Transitions of Care Coalitions (NTOCC) Across the Continuum: An informational brochure about the National Transitions Of Care Coalition: The tools, resources, work groups and support organizations.
• Taking Care of My Health Care: A guide for patients and caregivers to take with them when visiting doctors and healthcare providers.
• Guidelines for a Hospital Stay for Patient, Family and Caregiver: A guide to safe and successful health care at the hospital during a patient's stay.
• Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit: A toolkit designed to help medical professionals organize their practices and communicate better with patients to minimize confusion and ensure healthy outcomes
• Critical Communication: Using Plain Language to Reduce Medical Errors: A guidebook on the importance of effective communication in healthcare settings, complete with practical case studies.

• Closing the Quality Gap on Care Coordination: An evidenced based report from the Agency for Health care Research and Quality on Care Coordination.
• Understanding Root Cause Analysis: Advocates can use to explore unexpected events and outcomes to determine all of the underlying causes of the event and recommend changes as part of continuous quality improvement initiatives.
• NCQA 2009 Report on Health Care Quality.
• Dartmouth Institute report: Healthcare Spending, Quality and Outcomes.
• Closing the Quality Gap: A report from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality on evidence-based quality projects that will help practitioners improve health and health care.
• 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors in Children: A list of questions about medicines, hospital stays, surgery and other steps you can can to ensure your child is safe from medical errors.
  
• 5 Tips to Safer Health Care: Ways you can help your family prevent medical errors.
• 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors: A list about medicines, hospital stays, surgery and steps you can take to ensure you avoid medical errors.
• Racial and Ethic Disparities In Health Care 2010: American College of Physicians Report: Impact on racial and ethnic disparities.
• 2010 Global Survey of Health Care Consumers.