Why Proactive Patient Planning Beats Crisis Management Every Time

Mary Fedorowski is the Chief Executive Officer of Avoa Health, a concierge patient advocacy service dedicated to supporting individuals with chronic illnesses and their families. With over twenty years of experience navigating the healthcare system, Mary is passionate about ensuring patients receive the highest level of personalized care so they can focus on healing and spending meaningful time with their loved ones. Through Avoa Health, she helps families cut through the complexities of healthcare, providing guidance, advocacy, and clarity during some of life’s most challenging moments. In this episode, Mary shares why many families wait until a crisis—such as a fall, stroke, or medical emergency—before seeking help, and how proactive planning can make all the difference. She also explains the critical distinction between hospital-employed navigators and independent patient advocates, and why even highly capable family members can struggle to manage a loved one’s care within today’s complex healthcare system. Mary offers valuable insights on how the right support can ease stress, improve outcomes, and empower families to make informed decisions. Subscribe, leave a review and follow us on social media…Join us next Wednesday for another episode of Help! Nobody Told Me… Hosts: Shannon Johnson – sjohnson@bhhschicago.com Jasmine Shapiro – jshapiro@bhhschicago.com Mindy Leonard – mindy@superorganizedspaces.com Jordan Kagan – jordanthemanofsilver@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonandjasmine/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonandjasmine Website: https://shannonandjasmine.bhhschicago.com/ Links: Mary Fedorowski 📞 312-434-5708 ✉️ mary@avoahealth.com 🌐 https://avoahealth.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryfedorowski-avoa/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avoahealth/ Produced by: Dave Couto with Bright Vox Audio Edited by: Michael Collins