Nation's Leading Patient Advocate Organization Opens San Antonio Office

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Feb 09, 2011, 11:12 ET

Professional Case Management Services Available to Patients in Need of Assistance

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) – a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability relative to their diagnosis of life threatening or debilitating diseases – today announced the opening of a new office at the Data Point Building in San Antonio, TX. This new office will offer professional case management services to residents throughout San Antonio.

PAF provides extensive case management assistance to patients across the country, but Texas is the second largest referral state for the number of patient referrals and requests for mediation. In 2009 alone, 380,805 Texas patients contacted PAF for information, and 5,251 patients required one-on-one case management service. In August 2010, Diane Morales, San Antonio resident, contacted PAF for assistance after she was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer and had multiple financial issues as a result of treatment and co-payments. PAF was able to help Morales with daily living expenses, her mortgage, utilities, car payment and medical co-payments. "If it wasn't for PAF, I would be living on the streets undergoing cancer treatment. PAF saved my house, provided me assistance with co-payments for my medicines and doctor visits, and brought peace to me during an extremely trying time."

"We are pleased and honored to now have a physical presence in the San Antonio community," said Nancy Davenport-Ennis, CEO of PAF. "For years our case managers have provided direct sustained support to Texans and look forward to expanding our outreach to the community to effectively help more Texans access the quality care they need and deserve."

Headquartered in Hampton, VA, Patient Advocate Foundation has more than 230 employees today, with offices located in Florida, Iowa, Texas, California, North Carolina and New York. As the United States moves forward with health reform implementation, case complexity is on the rise with more than 23 percent of patients reporting two or more health conditions at a time. More consumers are requesting assistance from PAF about medical debt crisis and health care benefits, which accounts for the recent surge in patient calls and the recent hiring of 30 new case managers. Since 1998, PAF has seen a 132% increase in the number of resolved patient cases.

Senior case managers, Elaine Martinez, LPN and Yashia Clark, LBSW relocated from national headquarters and are located at 8401 Datapoint Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229. San Antonio residents can contact PAF at 1-800-532-5274.

PAF also opened a new office this month in Kill Devil Hills, NC and expanded its partnership with the Lance Armstrong Foundation in Austin, TX, adding a full time PAF case manager to that office.

PAF handled more than 82,000 cases nationally in 2010.

Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability. PAF is on the frontlines of the healthcare access battle millions of Americans fight every day. Last year alone, PAF received in excess of 4 million contacts from patients, family members and care professionals requesting access to care information and assistance. Of those contacts, PAF's professional senior patient navigators successfully resolved 55,384 cases for patients that required direct, sustained mediation and arbitration services. For more information about Patient Advocate Foundation, please visit www.patientadvocate.org or call toll free (800) 532-5274.

SOURCE Patient Advocate Foundation