A passion for patients

According to a study performed by researchers at John Hopkins Medicine, medical errors rank third as the leading cause of death in the United States — falling only behind heart disease and cancer. 

But now there are professionals like Mountain Brook resident Krista Hughes who are working to help prevent medical errors through patient advocacy. As of early October, Hughes was the first and only clinical private patient advocate in the state who is certified through the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants and the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates.

“This profession it’s brand new,” Hughes said. “It’s been cited as the fastest growing profession in the U.S. for this decade.”

She entered patient advocacy after her dad suffered from medical error and a friend introduced her to the idea. It wasn’t until she left the medical device industry after 16 years that she decided to pursue patient advocacy and opened her business, Krista Hughes Advocacy, in January 2017.

“That’s how I know the medical and health system so well,” she said. While the only requirement to be a patient advocate right now is to have a medical background, Hughes said that starting in 2018 all advocates will be required to take a certification test and no one will be grandfathered into the profession.

As for the services Hughes’ provides, she said it can be almost anything. She said she’s worked with clients who have suffered from brain aneurysms, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, kidney stone diseases, hemorrhoids and bunions, and tailors her work to each client. 

“There’s not a cookie cutter [plan] because it’s your health,” she said. “It’s individual.”

While she is not able to diagnose or prescribe treatment, Hughes said that if she and her client decide they would work well together after a complimentary consultation, her clients fill out legal paperwork so she can obtain the proper information. She works closely with medical records and doctors involved to help her clients learn their options. Hughes described it as being a liaison between the patient and the doctor.

“I keep up with any changes, I prepare you for your doctors appointments,” she said, adding that often it helps her clients better understand their options and what is going on as a patient. “You hire a lawyer for your legal needs. They know the legal system, so you trust them. It’s the same thing with me, except it’s medical,” she said.

Hughes said she is trying to build communication and conversation between doctors and patients, because often times, doctors can be overwhelmed with necessary administrative work and their number of patients. This allows her to spend more time focusing on her client and help them understand their diagnosis, treatment options and the healthcare system.

“Seventy-nine percent of the reason [medical error] is a big problem is due to communication breakdown,” she said. “I’m just trying to teach people to start asking, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And not in a bad way, not to be disrespectful — but to get an understanding.”

Hughes said she typically works on an hourly basis with her clients, and oftentimes that care extends beyond the walls of an exam room — in addition to the research she puts in to find all of her client’s options, she assists with medication management and hospital discharge procedures. She also offers two price points: member and non-member. 

“It is such a passion for me and brings me great joy to assist my clients in getting the best medical care that they deserve and to be their voice,” she said. “My goal is to put them [the patients] back at the center of their healthcare.”

To learn more about Hughes Advocacy, go to hughesadvocacy.com.