What Is a Patient Advocate? (And What Do They Do)

A patient advocate guides a patient through the health care system, but their role involves more than just that. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement calls patient advocates supporters, believers, sponsors, promoters, campaigners, backers, and spokespeople.

Learn more about the patient advocate job, including duties and responsibilities, required human skills, and how to become one.

What is a patient advocate?

Patient advocates help patients—and their loved ones—navigate the health care system in many ways, like communicating with doctors, finding legal help, working with insurance companies, and setting up tests and screenings. They assist with many aspects of a patient's medical care to make it a little less complicated. 

Because a patient advocate also helps patients receive financial, social, and legal support, they also correspond with health care providers, insurance companies, lawyers, case managers, and employers. They advocate for the patient however they may need. Sometimes, social workers or loved ones fill the role of a patient advocate.

In recent years, hospitals and other health care facilities have started to add professional staff members to fill the void. Patient advocates may also work independently or for small businesses specializing in health care advocacy.

What does a patient advocate do?

A patient advocate's duties and responsibilities are plentiful. Ultimately, people working in this rewarding career take care of patients from their diagnosis through their treatment, recovery, and follow-up visits, ensuring they have the support they need. Patient advocates most commonly assist those with chronic illnesses, multiple illnesses, or life-threatening conditions.  

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Setting up medical appointments and finding second opinions 

• Helping a patient find financial and legal resources

• Assisting a patient to find support groups and other social support

• Negotiating medical bills and reviewing them to ensure they're accurate

• Resolving disputes between patients and their insurance companies

• Resolving conflicts between patients and their health care providers

• Communicating with doctors, nurses, therapists, and insurance providers on a patient's behalf

• Explaining things ranging from medical bills to information on a diagnosis to patients

• Helping patients navigate their treatment and care options 

• Keeping notes of what happens during medical visits

• Ensuring a patient's needs and wishes are met when they can't speak for themselves 

• Helping patients fill out forms and applications 

• Supporting patients' rights

• Reading medical charts, bills, and documents

Questions patients might have

As a patient advocate, you might answer questions like: how to travel between appointments, how to find a different doctor or hospital for a second opinion, what are the diagnosis and treatment options, or how to pay for medical care. Or, you might simply offer general support if the patient feels lonely or sad.

Salary and job outlook

According to Glassdoor, a patient advocate in the US makes an average total salary of about $45,138 a year [1]. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts all health care careers will grow much faster than average between 2023 and 2033 due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave occupations permanently [2]. With so many people requiring even more health care, it is likely that the need for patient advocates should also grow.  

Where do patient advocates work? 

Patient advocates can find jobs in numerous locations, from small businesses to hospitals. As the health care system grows more complicated and the American population ages, the need for patient advocates is likely to increase. If you are looking for a role as a patient advocate, consider one of these industries::

• Hospitals: Hospitals typically keep patient advocates on staff. They are available to all patients during a hospital stay and then remain in contact for a time after discharge.

• Nursing homes: Many nursing homes, senior-living homes, and assisted-living facilities also have patient advocates.

• Insurance companies: Like hospitals, many insurance companies also have patient advocates available to you. Even Medicare hires people to fill these roles.

• Health care advocacy nonprofits: Some nonprofit organizations provide patient advocates for people in need. While some rely on volunteers, others may hire professional patient advocates to have on staff.

• Independent patient advocacy businesses: As the need for patient advocates grows, some people are working as independent contractors or setting up small businesses that deal solely with helping patients navigate the health care system. You can find online directories that help patients find private patient advocates.

• Government agencies: Some governmental agencies hire patient advocates at the federal or state level. These include government-run health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. 

Patient advocate roles and titles  

While “patient advocate” is most common, other potential titles might include health advocate, care manager, case manager, medical advocate, patient liaison, patient representative, or consumer advocate.

Skills needed to be a patient advocate

To become a patient advocate, you must also possess certain human skills, particularly the ability to listen and communicate clearly. Listening to your patients and their loved ones is important, but you must also be able to pick up on body language and other nonverbal clues. A big part of the patient advocate's job involves explaining everything from medical terms to billing and insurance to patients in ways that are easy to understand. 

Besides communication and active listening, you'll want to have the following skills:

• Problem-solving skills: As a patient advocate, you may help patients make decisions about everything from insurance coverage to treatment options. This means you'll need the ability to solve problems after careful thought, research, and analysis.

• Interpersonal skills: On any given day, a patient advocate will interact with patients and their loved ones, doctors, nurses, other health care staff, receptionists, office managers, insurance companies, lawyers, and other professionals. This might include resolving conflict or collaborating. You'll need to be assertive but also positive and polite.

• Empathy and compassion: Being a patient advocate is entirely about helping someone else get through a difficult situation, so you must be able to put yourself in their shoes. You must also have compassion for those who trust you to help them navigate their health care.

• Organizational skills: Staying organized is also essential. You'll likely work with multiple patients simultaneously, so you'll need to keep each one's information separate. You'll also need to keep up with appointments, medical bills, due dates, and more. 

Besides soft skills, patient advocates need to have a firm grasp of the health care system, which includes learning medical terminology. You'll want to know abbreviations common in the medical field, how to read health records, and more. Take Rice University's Medical Terminology Specialization to get up to speed.

How to become a patient advocate

No specific path leads to a patient advocate job. Each employer may set its own educational requirements, and some may have none but offer on-the-job training. Others may require job experience in areas like nursing or medical billing. If you decide to pursue a job as a patient advocate, keep these tips in mind:

1. Make sure you meet the educational requirements.

The education you'll need to become a patient advocate usually depends on the organization. Some might be fine with a high school diploma, while others may want you to have at least a bachelor's degree. If you're just starting college and your goal is to get a patient advocate job in the future, you may want to choose a health care or social work field for your major.

2. Consider a certification.

While a degree is not necessarily required to become a patient advocate, some colleges and universities may offer programs or certifications to help prepare you for a career in the field. If you choose this path, you might take courses on finance, ethics, health care law, communication, the health care system, and other related topics.  

Another option is to earn the Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) credential from the Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB). People with various backgrounds related to patient advocacy, ranging from those who volunteer in hospitals to physicians, are eligible to take the exam on a case-by-case basis. To take the exam, you must first submit an application and show proof of identification. The certification can help open you up to more job opportunities.  

3. Build up your skills.

Any other qualifications you might need will vary depending on where you work. However, as the population grows more diverse, being bilingual, especially in Spanish, Chinese, or other widely spoken languages, can make you more appealing to employers.

Plus, the more you know about the US health care system (which can be quite complicated!), especially finance and billing, the better. It's also essential to understand health care laws and insurance coverage, as well as how to use a computer.

If you already possess these skills, you are already on your way to becoming a patient advocate. Be sure to demonstrate your skills to potential employers during interviews.

Explore more ways you can prepare to become a patient advocate 

If you are interested in the health care field and enjoy performing a variety of tasks to help people during a difficult time, becoming a patient advocate might be for you. 

Get a full introduction to the US health care system with Rutgers University's Healthcare Organization Operations Specialization. Learn about the health care system, its business process management, and quality improvement in this field.