Navigating Healthcare with Confidence
Navigating the healthcare system can be challenging and overwhelming. Whether you have been struggling to get answers, are facing a new and scary diagnosis, or are worried about your aging family member, Barrow Health Advocacy can help.
BHA offers independent and compassionate physician-guided advocacy so that you don't have to face the healthcare system alone. We stand beside you and your loved ones to help:
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Make sense of diagnoses
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Understand treatment options
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Prepare for appointments
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Make sure all of your providers are on the same page
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Support follow-up plan execution
Our allegiance is 100% to you, and our sole goal is to ensure that you receive care that is thoughtful, informed, and aligned with what matters most to you. As a small practice, we are able to offer personalized, responsive support that brings clarity and confidence to your healthcare decisions.
About Me
Virginia Smith Barrow, MD, BCPA
I am Dr. Virginia Barrow, a Board Certified Patient Advocate, and the founder of Barrow Health Advocacy. My advocacy practice is informed by my knowledge of the medical system and more than 20 years of clinical experience as an internal medicine physician.
As a healthcare advocate, I help patients and families navigate our complicated medical system in the setting of an overwhelming diagnosis, lack of answers, or an elderly loved one in need of support at home or during transitions of care.
I came to advocacy after having experienced some of these things as an adult child caregiver. I supported my mother through cognitive decline, her transition from our childhood home to an elder community, and ultimately an advanced cancer diagnosis. My knowledge of the healthcare system and understanding of medicine enabled me to explain her diagnoses and treatment options in terms she understood so that she could make informed decisions about her treatments and end of life care that aligned with her goals. What could have been a completely overwhelming time for our family, became our precious final months filled with confident care decisions, laughter, and an abundance of love.
Since that time, I have supported individuals and families facing complex care situations and medical conditions. This work has shown me again and again how difficult it can be to navigate the healthcare system, especially when it is unclear what questions to ask, what options are available, or how to advocate effectively for oneself or a loved one.
I created Barrow Health Advocacy so that I could bring my physician-guided insight and understanding of healthcare to other families. It is my mission to bring calm and clarity to stressful health situations and empower families to make informed and confident decisions about their health.