A profession is born to help people navigate the health care maze

The Health Care Advocacy ....at the rates in this article, this appears to be as costly as hiring an attorney...BD

Margalit Mathan and Peter August found themselves caught in a maze of medical appointments and conflicting professional opinions when their 7-year-old daughter developed serious eye problems related to her juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The Berkeley family decided to consult yet another professional. They turned to a health care advocate, an adviser who specializes in helping patients and their families cut through the health care bureaucracy to find the help they need. "It's been this huge roller coaster with the medical system and negotiating her different needs and the different information we're getting from different doctors," said Mathan, a high school psychologist. Her daughter, Siona, was diagnosed two years ago with arthritis, a condition that can cause eye inflammation and, in Siona's case, led to glaucoma.

Pinnacle Care International, headquartered in Baltimore, employs about 55 advocates working in 10 states.
Unlike individual advocates, who can charge by the hour or set a fee based on time, Pinnacle sells a one-time membership of about $3,000 plus an annual fee that can go as high as $30,000. Its services are similar to "concierge" care, or a type of premium care that is offered by some physicians on a retainer basis.