This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Dr. Angie Ingraham, founder of True North Patient Advocates.
Ingraham is a former trauma surgeon and critical care physician who now works as a board-certified independent patient advocate, helping people navigate the healthcare system. While based in Madison, she has clients across the country.
The conversation explores Ingraham’s motivation for launching the company about a year ago, after serving as an advocate for her father before he died of brain cancer in 2021.
“We found that I could help him in ways that others couldn’t in navigating the healthcare system, and all the challenges that we had during his illness,” she said. “And from that, I found professional patient advocacy.”
She discusses how she guides her clients through various aspects of getting medical care, from seeking second opinions to accompanying them to doctor’s appointments, as well as helping with transitions of care, finding long-term care options and addressing billing and insurance hurdles.
“I’ve helped some of my clients appeal Medicare denials in order to get their rehab stays covered, for example,” she said. “So every client and family is unique, and I tailor my services to meet those needs.”
Her company’s growth so far has largely been driven by word-of-mouth connections, along with some help from professional organizations that assist patients in finding advocates. There’s currently no licensure requirements for her profession, allowing her to work with clients anywhere in the United States.
“For the ones who are local, I do go in person with them to doctor’s appointments or provider appointments if they want,” she said. “For the ones who are out of state, I would fly there if they want me to, but we can do a lot virtually and a lot over the phone … there’s lots of ways you can serve as an advocate for someone.”
In addition to her work with True North Patient Advocates, Ingraham is a board member for the nonprofit HealthAdvocatex and a member of the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy and the Alliance for Professional Health Advocates.
Listen to the podcast below, sponsored by UW-Madison:
