National Patient Advocacy Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Patient Advocates

National Patient Advocacy Day is celebrated on August 19, as it is every year. It is no secret that the healthcare system can become complex and even perplexing. Hospitals and healthcare personnel are overworked and tasked with tasks that divert attention from patient care. This is where patient advocates can provide assistance. National Patient Advocacy Day was created to increase awareness of the services offered by healthcare facilities, particularly those associated with Medicaid enrollment.

The background of National Patient Advocacy Day

Patient advocacy is a medical specialty that advocates for patients, survivors, and caretakers. A patient advocate may be an individual or group concerned with a particular set of conditions. Patient advocacy began in the United States in the 1950s as a consequence of advances in cancer research and treatment. In the early days of cancer treatment, however, patients and their families raised ethical concerns regarding diagnostic procedures, treatment methods, and clinical research. In this medicolegal and ethical debate, the practise of advocating for and representing patients emerged.

As the Patient Rights movement developed in the United States during the 1970s, patient activism reached a turning point. The National Welfare Rights Organization’s (N.W.R.O.’s) materials for a patient’s bill of rights influenced numerous organisations and writings at the time, such as the Joint Commission’s hospital accreditation requirements in 1970 and the American Hospital Association’s Patient Bill of Rights in 1972.

Individual patient advocacy acquired popularity in the United States in the early 2000s and in Australia ten years later. The profession is now considered a mainstream option for enhancing hospital and community-based healthcare outcomes. This day was established by DECO Recovery Management in 2019 to raise awareness about the services available to healthcare facilities, particularly Medicaid eligibility.

5 Interesting Facts Concerning Patient Advocates

There are currently 75,066 patient advocates operating in the United States.

82.5 percent of all patient advocates are female.

A Patient Advocate is, on average, forty years old.

Patient advocates receive the highest compensation in the pharmaceutical industry.

Only seven percent of all patient advocates identify as LGBT.

NATIONAL PATIENT ADVOCACY DAY DATES