The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates (APHA) Changes Hands and Enters Its Next Chapter, Poised for Growth Building on Strong Foundation

CAMBRIDGE, MA, March 25, 2022 — Today, The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates (APHA), the premier professional membership organization for patient advocates, has been acquired by Consumer Health Advocacy, Inc., a new patient advocacy platform company led by two health industry veterans, one of whom is an APHA member.

Founded in 2009, APHA is the largest membership organization for professional health advocates. Through APHA Academy and PracticeUP! Online, APHA provides training and education for professional patient advocates, care managers, and other health professionals as well as people seeking to launch their own independent advocacy practices. APHA also operates AdvoConnection, a directory of vetted professional advocates, where patients and families can search a nationwide directory of patient advocates qualified to help them navigate the variety of issues related to their healthcare, costs, and coverage. 

“I am thrilled to hand over the reins of APHA to dedicated, seasoned patient advocacy champions with the necessary industry expertise, business acumen, and commitment to patients and advocacy professionals,” said Trisha Torrey, founder of The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates and AdvoConnection and author of six books including You Bet Your Life! The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes. “I have worked in the profession of independent patient advocacy since it began and I see it growing in importance as the U.S. healthcare system becomes increasingly complex and expensive. The time is right for the new owners to build on APHA’s strong foundation to reach more patients and support more professional independent advocates.”

The patient advocacy field has been growing alongside continually escalating costs and the growing complexity of managing and paying for healthcare. Currently, there are approximately 1,000 Board-certified Patient Advocates (BCPAs) who must meet rigorous ethical standards, demonstrate numerous professional competencies, and maintain their credentials through continuing education. Countless more professionals work as advocates on behalf of patients and families, independently and as part of organizations.

“No matter who you are, when it comes to your healthcare and coverage, the chances are that you need an ally—someone by your side to accompany you through your healthcare journey. That’s what patient advocates do: they look out for you and help you navigate the overwhelming and cumbersome aspects of accessing and paying for healthcare and health insurance,” said Deb Gordon, co-founder and CEO of Consumer Health Advocacy, Inc. and the new co-director of APHA. “I’ve dedicated my career to trying to level the playing field for healthcare consumers and APHA members are on the front lines of this work. I could not be more proud to help steer the organization through its next chapter and support these inspiring professionals.”

“As a patient advocate myself, I know how rewarding it is to help patients and families through their most scary and frustrating healthcare experiences. To do this important work, though, independent advocates need training and support,” said Dena Feingold, BCPA, co-founder and COO of Consumer Health Advocacy, Inc. and the other new co-director of APHA. “I look forward to working tirelessly to support and grow APHA’s membership, to champion the patient advocacy community, and to elevate our field so more professionals know about patient advocacy as a career path and more patients know that expert help is available when they don’t know where to turn.” 

What this means for APHA members:

APHA’s ownership change will not disrupt current APHA membership or programs. The training and community resources available to APHA members will remain and new programs and services will be introduced over time to meet members’ evolving needs. New strategies for extending APHA’s reach and visibility are among the new owners’ top priorities in support of APHA members’ success.

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About The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates 

The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates (APHA) is the premier membership organization for professional health and patient advocates. APHA membership provides a range of programming, including information, training, and support for patient advocates and professionals interested in becoming professional, independent advocates. Through the APHA Academy, people get comprehensive training on how to set up and run a successful patient advocacy practice. PracticeUP! Online, APHA’s sister site, provides a wide variety of online courses focused on operating an individual patient advocacy or care management practice; many of these courses offer continuing education credits. You do not need to be an APHA member to take APHA Academy or PracticeUP! Online courses. For more information about APHA or independent patient advocacy, visit APHAdvocates.org.

About AdvoConnection

AdvoConnection is the nation’s premier directory of independent professionals dedicated to helping patients and families navigate the healthcare system. The directory includes health and patient advocates, care managers and coordinators, navigators, medical bill reviewers and negotiators, health insurance advisors, insurance claims specialists,  elder care professionals, disability and legal advisors, among other independent healthcare advisors. If you or someone you know needs help navigating a difficult healthcare or health insurance situation, visit AdvoConnection.com.

About Consumer Health Advocacy, Inc.

Consumer Health Advocacy, Inc. is a patient advocacy company founded by veteran healthcare executives and patient advocacy experts Deb Gordon and Dena Feingold.  Consumer Health Advocacy’s mission is to connect people who need help navigating their healthcare and coverage with experts and resources who can help them access the support they need to protect their health and financial well-being. 

Connect with Deb Gordon on LinkedIn or find her on Forbes.com.

Learn more about Dena at AdvoConnection  or connect with her on LinkedIn.

We welcome media inquiries.

media@aphadvocates.org
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