Susan’s Story

Susan Gibbons, Managing Director

Hello, and welcome to Concierge Medical Advocates (CMA). My name is Susan Gibbons. I am a nurse by education and a Managing Director of CMA. Over the years, I have read many applicants’ resumes and biographies, and interviewed many nurses. Generally, I am advised where they went to school, what hospitals they worked at, what hospital committees they sat on and so forth. What I really want to know is why they chose nursing, how they practice medicine, their ethics and especially their values. I have learned that many nurses and physicians have strong academic backgrounds and often have multiple degrees but they are often unable to relate to their patients and be compassionate, empathetic and nurturing. Such traits and values have defined who I am, how I treat patients, and most importantly, how I expect my staff to treat each our patient/clients.

We are all the product of our life experiences. I can definitively say that my values as a person, a nurse and as a Medical Director were tested in the Fall of 1985. Without warning, I received an urgent phone call from an ER doctor telling me to hurry to a small local hospital because my mother (Alice) had collapsed, had advanced lung cancer and would not live through the night.

That phone call changed my life and my career. A decade earlier, I followed my mother’s lead into nursing, and by 1985 I was already managing and training Intensive Care Unit nurses to be their patients’ advocates as well as care-givers at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago.

While I drove to my mother’s bedside that day, I realized that I would be playing many roles that day. I was a daughter, I was a nurse, and because my mother’s care was now very, very personal, I was now also my mother’s Medical Advocate. I arrived at the rural community hospital less than an hour after the phone call that I had received and found that the doctor had gone home, his replacement was not familiar with my mother’s case, the charting was minimally done, the nursing staff was unhelpful and there was no plan in place for Alice’s recovery. The uncaring charge nurse bluntly informed me that the physician of record said to keep her comfortable because she would not make it through the night. The daughter in me wanted to cry and scream, while the nurse in me knew that I had to quickly get Alice better medical care.

Susan’s Mother

Prior to becoming ill, my mother had already taken the time to complete her advanced directives, and had legally made me her Medical Power of Attorney (POA). I knew that my mother had entrusted me to protect her, and to professionally advocate for her medical wishes. Most of all, I knew that my mother was a fighter and most definitely was not ready to die.

I was fortunate to have my network of professional contacts throughout Chicago’s premier hospitals. Time was of the essence, and Alice was quickly transferred to a major medical center where an aggressive care plan was initiated. The combination of my mother’s medical care, her resolve, and my advocacy were extremely successful in the weeks ahead. I am honored to say that I was privileged to act as my mother’s advocate for the next twenty-one years. I was her first line of defense with the medical community. I fought to preserve her dignity and independence. I coordinated her complex care as she was she traveled through the maize of multiple health care institutions and physicians.

As a nurse, I was aware of the errors that often occur in medicine because of the time constraints faced by hurried doctors and nurses. In my mother’s case, I knew well her arduous medical history. Based on her past treatments, I knew that her medications had to be accurate to be effective. Throughout my mother’s care, she and I kept identical medical journals which I constantly updated. The purpose of these journals was to provide accurate information from physician to physician. These journals guided my mother’s care, and became the primary reference in regard to her medical history, all current medications, and lab reports.  As part of our protocol, I routinely utilized a Pharm D to check for side effects, and for contra-indications on all of her medications. Over time, her condition became more complicated, and I was able to find references through my professional contacts. Because I was well organized, I could routinely keep all family members well informed as my mother wished. These regular updates gave both her and my family comfort that she was well cared for each and every day.

Throughout my career, I have seen the medical industry from multiple vantage points. I have seen it from the perspective of a trained critical care nurse, a daughter and as a Medical Advocate. Each viewpoint provides only a small glimpse of the large picture. Significantly, my training and experiences provide me with a unique collection of all views, which ultimately helps me advocate for my patients’ best interest.

Concierge Medical Advocate LLC is a consequence of my life experiences as a critical care nurse, as my mother’s advocate, as a nursing manager in large medical centers, and as a professional in Home and Hospice care. Over the years, I have come to understand that families truly need an advocate to help with the complexities of health care, as well as patient billings and communications.

My values and those of Concierge Medical Advocates are now one in the same and they are simple. We treat our each and every client and their family with the same kindness and dignity as if they were our own family. This guides us in all of our decisions and throughout our actions.