Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates, led by Betty Long, RN, MHA, has been honored by the Philadelphia Business Journal with a 2017 Health Care Innovator Award. The award will be presented on Thursday, Sept. 14 in a ceremony at the Ballroom at the Ben Franklin in Philadelphia. All winners will be profiled in the PBJ’s Sept. 15 edition.
To earn this honor, an individual or company must have found innovative solutions to the challenges of quality, cost, and access to health care. Guardian Nurses and President Long are being honored for two pioneering patient advocacy programs.
The company’s Nurse Advocate program was a pioneer in patient advocacy services, starting in 2003. It was the first and is still the only such service staffed entirely by experienced RNs. In certain situations, a Guardian Nurses RN will accompany the patient to doctor visits – a feature not offered by any competitor.
Launching the Mobile Care Coordinator® program in 2013, Long literally mobilized her RNs by putting them in branded SUVs so they can visit patients in crisis at home, in the hospital or wherever the patient needs immediate guidance and support. The RNs form a strong bond of trust with patients by showing up in their time of need. That relationship enables the RN to motivate patients to make better healthcare decisions and take better care of themselves over time.
Clients of Guardian Nurses include brokers who include Guardian Nurses in corporate healthcare benefits for employees, unions with self-funded health plans, and individuals who hire a Nurse Advocate to get better care, straight answers and peace of mind for themselves or a loved one.