My Personal Advocate - FAQs | Amazing Care Network

With MPA, Dr. Feren becomes your personal advocate. He will:

Help you ask your doctor(s) key questions about any health conditions or procedures so you can make the best decisions about your care and your treatment plan
Guide you to trusted information, so you don’t have to waste your time sorting through the overwhelming online information trying to figure out what’s up to date, correct, and most importantly, right for you

Since time with your doctors is often limited, it’s difficult to have a full discussion about your health condition or get answers to all your questions
Sometimes, you may have forgotten what you wanted to ask, or perhaps were too embarrassed to ask
Or you may have remembered your questions, but only after your appointment was over
Perhaps you didn’t know what to ask
So – as the saying goes: “If you don’t ask the right questions, you won’t get the right answers”
That’s why having Dr. Feren – an experienced, empathetic, professional – as your own personal advocate makes good sense and can give you peace of mind

A 2^nd opinion simply is getting an opinion from a doctor other than your current doctor and is nearly always a good idea especially when a surgical procedure has been recommended
It’s best to see the same type of doctor or specialist for your condition, whether it requires a procedure (like surgery) or not
With a 2^nd opinion, you gather more information to fully understand your health issue(s) and treatment options which helps you decide what’s best for you

The short answer is “no” BUT:
With Dr. Feren, you will have a credible resource that gives you a more complete understanding of your health condition(s) and your treatment plan
You’ll more fully understand how your condition(s) and treatment plan may affect your family and/or caregivers, better preparing you to manage issues as they arise

Through MPA, Dr. Feren is available to both members and non-members and is just a click away by emailing alan@mypersonaladvocate.net
Backed by Dr. Feren’s knowledge and experience, you’ll be able to make the best decisions about your care so you can have the best medical outcome and peace of mind

Once a request is made by emailing Dr. Feren at alan@mypersonaladvocate.net, a virtual visit that is mutually convenient will be scheduled
Payment is made in advance of your virtual appointment (link to “How Do I Pay My MPA Invoice”)
You, family members, significant others – any of whom are involved in your care – are encouraged to attend
Each session may last up to 1 hour; follow-up sessions can be arranged for a fee mutually agreed upon at the initial session
Dr. Feren doesn’t require you to send him protected health information (known as PHI) – like laboratory, x-ray/CT/MRI, and/or other diagnostic test results.
If you do send these to him, they will only be used to further your understanding of your health issues, options, and identify resources that are helpful
Strict confidentiality is maintained for any information before, during and after a virtual visit.
At each session, Dr. Feren provides you a series of recommendations that may include appropriate questions to ask, possible options to consider – like additional tests – as well as guiding you to trusted resources to review
With Dr. Feren, you have a seasoned healthcare professional at your side when needed for issues that arise from care that has become problematic, giving you peace of mind

Dr. Feren Does Not:

Make or confirm a diagnosis
Treat you, including writing a prescription of medications, order laboratory and/or diagnostic imaging tests (x-rays, CT scans, MRI scans) though he may suggest that you ask your physician(s) about any of these
Contact or discuss your medical issues/conditions with your treating doctor(s) or other health care providers
Negotiate on your behalf the costs of any services, rates, or service availability

Dr. Feren currently limits his assistance to most adult medical and surgical issues and/or procedures
He does not help with health conditions that involve:

- Pediatrics
- Obstetrics, gynecology/female reproductive issues
- Cancer care (oncology)
- End-of-life issues
- Behavioral Health/Mental Health

The good news is that planning is already underway to be able to cover all medical issues at some time in the future
In the interim, if you would like a patient advocate to help you with currently excluded health conditions, end-of-life issues, insurance, bills, or other issues, go to GNAnow.org — or ask Dr. Feren to recommend a patient advocate.

A fee of $250 is payable in advance for each virtual visit
Any follow up virtual visit fee is mutually agreed upon at the initial visit
50% of this fee will be donated to support the Amazing Care Charitable Foundation