How advocates charge
Most independent advocates bill hourly, with the rate varying by service type — reviewing medical bills, attending appointments, and managing a hospitalization are different kinds of work. Some offer flat-fee packages for defined projects (a records review, a discharge management engagement) or monthly retainers for ongoing coordination. Insurance generally doesn't cover privately hired advocates, though recent Medicare navigation codes have created coverage paths in specific situations.
What drives the cost up or down
- Scope — a one-time bill review is a few hours; managing a complex hospitalization is more.
- Intensity — crisis work (a hospitalization happening now) runs hotter than steady-state coordination.
- Complexity — five specialists and two insurance disputes cost more to untangle than one doctor and a billing question.
The offset most families don't expect
Advocacy frequently pays for part or all of itself in hard dollars: billing errors caught, denied claims overturned, unnecessary readmissions avoided, and duplicated tests prevented. A single corrected hospital bill or overturned denial can exceed the entire cost of the engagement. The soft-dollar side — vacation days not burned on crisis trips, the coordination hours handed back to your family — is real too.
How Rose Care Navigation handles pricing
We start every engagement with a free 20-minute consultation. You describe the situation; we tell you honestly what it needs, what it doesn't, and what the scope would look like — including when the honest answer is that you don't need us. No pressure, no surprise invoices, and clear scope before any work begins.
Common questions
Is a patient advocate covered by insurance?
Generally no — privately hired advocates are an out-of-pocket service. Recent Medicare navigation billing codes (PIN and CHI) created limited coverage paths when navigation is delivered under a treating practitioner; ask us whether your situation may qualify.
Do you charge for the first consultation?
No. The first 20-minute consultation is free, and we use it to give you an honest scope — including telling you if you don't need an advocate.
Can several family members split the cost?
Yes, and it's common — siblings frequently share the cost of advocacy for a parent, and our reporting keeps every contributing family member equally informed.
Rose Care Navigation serves families throughout Palm Beach County — Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach, and surrounding communities — including at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Delray Medical Center, and Bethesda Hospital.