Helping Individuals Handle Medical Expenses

Working with a Medical Insurance Advocate

Adria Goldman Gross, FIPC

A Medical Insurance Advocate (MIA) helps individuals organize medical bills and negotiate coverage for medical services before and after receiving care. MIAs can save patients money, as well as pay doctor and hospital bills by organizing preapprovals, fixing billing errors, and negotiating coverage denials. Within the field of patient advocacy, there are different roles that each professional fulfills. Some advocates assist with taking patients to appointments, others help families transition into elder care facilities, and still others fix billing errors and appeal denials. Advocates should be transparent about their scope of practice, and it is important that an MIA knows when to reach out to other professionals. Although there is no national standardized licensing procedure for MIAs, an advocate's specialty depends on one's background. Medical billing advocacy requires knowing medical codes and billing procedures and having a background as a financial and insurance professional. Having the ability to organize and understand personal financial documents helps one recognize medical billing errors.