If you work with a financial planner, you comprehend the value of their services.
You entrust your chosen planner to create a personalized plan for you and your loved ones.
Your customized plan may include long term investment management
(e.g. selecting stocks), providing advice on tax strategy and estate planning, investing for your child's college fund, and retirement planning.
WHAT IF you woke up and found yourself with a mysterious illness and are a driven personality type? My guess is that you are going to feel incredibly stressed out, worried and don't want to rip a hole in your retirement funds if you can avoid it.
My clients are educated, driven individuals who want customized strategies and solutions. Whether they have a mysterious/complex illness or a planned surgery, they see the value in retaining a Concierge Patient Advocate.
WHY?
They want the highest level of patient centered care and would rather "pay now" to obtain a correct diagnosis versus trying to navigate on their own for years and risk losing everything.
They are open and ready to pursue out of network care and will travel to obtain the care they want.
They comprehend what the long term physical, emotional and financial repercussions could be from not getting a timely and correct diagnosis.
Let's look at PGA TOUR Player Jimmy Walker as an example.
Jimmy became mysteriously ill after returning from a hunting trip in south Texas during the Fall of 2016.
In April 2017, he tested positive for Lyme disease and other infections after his sports psychologist urged him to get tested. Jimmy never recalled a tick bite or exhibited a bullseye rash.
Jimmy was under intense treatment for 3.5 years (out of network care) and is able to manage his condition today.
Photo courtesy of the 2017 Lyme Disease Challenge- Erin and Jimmy Walker
The bottom line: Jimmy is a driven athlete and proactive about his health. He didn't drag his feet searching for a correct diagnosis because he wanted his quality of life back YESTERDAY.
He was willing and ready to adhere to a strict treatment protocol because he wanted to get back on the golf course!
When I look back at my long health journey, it was INSANE that not one single practitioner considered Lyme disease during my first five years of torture.
I was living in Tampa Bay and would later discover that Florida ranked as the top state for the highest increase in Lyme cases and Georgia ranked third in the nation in a study conducted by Quest Diagnostics.
MISINFORMATION
The CDC estimates that approximately 476,000 people may be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year in the United States.
This estimated statistic is most likely much higher due to the fact that physicians are not properly reporting cases to their county health departments. This misinformation is making most people believe that Lyme is rare in the south, including Florida and Georgia.
Case in Point: I took a random glance at the CDC Surveillance map and in Hillsborough County, Florida (Tampa Bay), only FOUR confirmed Lyme cases were reported in 2022!
Hillsborough County had a population of 1.513 million people in 2022 and is full of Lyme disease. When you open the map and look at the southeast, you can see how inaccurate the data is. The lack of reporting Lyme cases is extremely alarming and misleading!
Lyme mimics a wide array of health conditions. Many people are being misdiagnosed instead with autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue and neurological conditions. Left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to multiple organs, including the heart.
I went from being driven to being a former shadow of myself
Weighing in at a whooping 105 pounds in 2011, most people probably thought I was anorexic.
The reality was that I was reacting to almost everything I was eating and drinking. I went into isolation long before covid-19 because I would react severely to chemicals and fragranced products. My specialist in New York City seemed to think it would go away after Lyme treatment but he was incorrect.
As an active athletic person who was extremely ill, I would push myself to ride my bike five miles because I hated being inactive. I paid a dear price every night after riding, swimming or laying out in the sun. I would experience severe seizure like body, limb and muscle jerks all night preventing me from sleeping.
I would have given anything to have known a Concierge Patient Advocate like myself! I could have saved years of suffering that I cannot even place a price on.
Why Do My Clients Come to Me?
Lack of Quality Time (you and your doctors)
Health insurance companies and hospital healthcare systems like HCA have pushed physicians to see an excessive number of patients in a day. Spending 5-10 minutes per patient is beyond unreasonable and translates to poor patient care.
My clients simply have no patience or time to spend weeks, months or years sifting through complex medical information, making calls, sitting on hold and getting the runaround.
Lack of Training on Complex Illness
Physicians are human beings and cannot possibly know everything when most will specialize in one specific organ system. We also have a national shortage of primary care physicians.
Care Coordination:
If you have multiple specialists, most will not consult with each other on your case. This is a major issue when you have a complex illness.
Misdiagnosis (Note: all six of these points can contribute to a misdiagnosis)
Most practitioners at your doctor's office) make a diagnosis based on lab test results. In some cases such as Lyme disease, conventional lab testing is highly inaccurate (50% false negative).
Seeking a Concierge Patient Advocate Who Understands Complex Illness
When you have you chronic fatigue, sleep deprivation, brain fog, you are simply not in a good position to be your own advocate. I understand complex illness, how to research for top physicians, take quality time to review medical records and prepare detailed appointment questions.
Second or Third Medical Opinions
This is a critical part of how I help my clients. Many people feel uncomfortable speaking to their doctor about a second opinion. I serve as my client's second set of unbiased eyes and ears and understand the process of obtaining a high quality second or third opinion.
There were MANY mistakes made with my care before and after my Lyme diagnosis. This includes both conventional and functional medicine. This is why I empathize with my clients frustrations and are able to effectively guide them.
Did you read that last paragraph?
It was only after seeing approximately twenty-four physicians in two states and spending thousands of hours on personal research that I pursued specialized lab testing to rule out Lyme disease.
Even after having the highly specialized Lyme lab panel run, my then internal medicine physician in Tampa Bay misinterpreted the test results. I was actually positive!
DID YOU READ THAT LAST SENTENCE?
Are you now questioning your own diagnosis?
My personal journey, which includes thousands of hours studying complex illness, and learning from the mistakes made with my care is what allows me to serve as a trusted consultant to my clients.
There were many pieces to my puzzle in addition to Lyme. This is why I honed my detective skills and developed an in-depth assessment to help identify areas that may have been overlooked by practitioners due to appointment time constraints.
The assessment findings are used to develop a customized plan of action so you are not just blindly running from doctor to doctor.
When my clients retain me as their consultant and guide, I look out for their best interests because I care about their well-being. I do all the "driving" while they focus on healing.
Contact me today to schedule a one hour paid phone consultation.
Remember, there is no price you can place on your quality of life!
Blessings,
Sylvia Reisman
Founder
Purity Patient Advocates LLC
Disclaimer
The documents and information contained within the Company’s website are offered for informational purposes only. By using the Services, you understand that the Company is NOT A MEDICAL PROVIDER AND HAS NOT PROVIDED YOU WITH MEDICAL ADVICE.
No information contained herein is a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified practitioner, nor should it be inferred as such. ALWAYS check with Your doctor if You have any health questions. The contributors to this Website are not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for ANY form of damages whatsoever resulting from information contained herein.
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