Frequently Asked Questions about APHA Memberships, Benefits, Cost, and More
You may find answers to your questions here. If not, we invite you to contact us.
Application and Membership
The short answer is YES.
But there may be differences in qualifications for various levels of members, as follows:
Premium Members and PracticePartner Members:
Since these members are listed in the Umbra Health Advocacy Directory for patients to find them and hire them, membership is not automatic. We review all applications to be sure the individual or organization meets our criteria for listing. We don’t want patients to question the listings they find in the directory. Quality is more important than quantity.
Take a look to see for yourself. We have built virtual tours so you can see what’s available to our members.
If you are still trying to decide which membership to apply for, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the benefits and tools accessible to each.
For a thorough examination of the benefits of each membership, please see this side-by-side comparison.
Directory Listing FAQs
The Umbra Health Advocacy Directory is a listing where patients and caregivers can search for advocates to help with any aspect of the healthcare system.
You can link to a sample advocate listing here:
You will have control over all aspects of your listing except for testimonials. We require testimonials to come directly from someone you have worked with. They submit them, then we approve them by confirming they came from real clients, if necessary.
Testimonials may be included on Umbra Health Advocacy Directory profiles. To be sure they are genuine, they must be added by patient-clients themselves.
Each listed advocate’s individual directory listing includes a form that allows clients to comment on the work the advocate did for them, and rate them with up to 5 stars. Upon receipt and validation of comments, we publish the testimonial / endorsement on the advocate’s behalf.
Dues, Fees, Upgrades & Renewals
Pricing for each level of membership is found on the Membership Comparison Chart.
Yes. Premium and Premium +ADL applicants will find their year one membership dues reduced if they belong to or are students of many of our affiliated organizations.
Dues for new members are due as soon as the application is received. Upon submission, the applicant is taken to a payment page.
Most memberships renew automatically and we will notify you in advance. For non-renewing memberships, we send renewal notices prior to expiration.
In all cases, once membership dues have been paid (by credit card), members gain access to the many benefits available to them immediately.
PACE members may upgrade at any time, as follows:
Log into your Membership Dashboard and find a link on the right to UPGRADE YOUR MEMBERSHIP. Your dues will be adjusted according to how much time has passed since you paid for your previous membership. You’ll be credited for unspent dues, if you upgrade to an annual subscription. We cannot apply credits to monthly Premium or PracticePartner dues.
We do not allow membership downgrades.
Yes, if you upgrade from an annual membership to a new annual membership, we will make an adjustment to your new dues when you upgrade from PACE to Premium or PracticePartner Membership. To do so, we apply a portion of your already-paid dues to your new cost for an annual membership. The amount will be simple math. For example, if half your membership has passed, then half the amount you paid will be applied to your upgraded membership – which will then run for its full timeframe. Please note credits do not apply to monthly memberships.
Memberships auto-renew annually. If you do not wish to renew you can cancel prior to the renewal date to prevent being charged.
You can find your renewal date from your membership dashboard, by linking to Manage Your Account > scroll down to your Personal Account Information and choose Subscriptions.
Please note: Once your renewal has been processed, we are unable to offer refunds for that billing period.
Monthly Memberships
Monthly memberships require a 12-month commitment. You may cancel at any time; however, if you cancel before the end of the 12-month term, you remain responsible for payment of the remaining balance. After the initial 12-month term is fulfilled, the membership will automatically renew on a month-to-month basis at the same rate unless canceled. Monthly membership payments are non-refundable, and no refunds will be issued for payments already processed.
New Annual Memberships
If you purchase a new annual membership, you may request a 50% refund of your dues within 5 business days of payment.
After 5 business days, refunds are no longer available.
Auto-Renewing Memberships (Annual or Monthly)
Both annual and monthly memberships automatically renew. If you do not wish to be charged for the next billing cycle, you must cancel your membership before your renewal date.
Once a renewal payment has been processed, we are unable to issue refunds.
Managing Your Membership
You can find your renewal date and manage your membership at any time in your Membership Dashboard:
Manage Your Account → Personal Account Information → Subscriptions
There are no additional fees for any of the benefits listed on this master list.
We do offer some training or mentoring programs that may include other charges.
Miscellaneous FAQs
Absolutely not! Advocates come from many backgrounds, and patients need many skills and services to help them. Nurses and other clinical professionals are welcome and needed as advocates, of course! But it is not necessary to be a nurse to be successful. Learn more about the background needed to be an effective and successful patient advocate.
No. We do not accept advertising at this time.
Members may submit news and resources. Find the “In the News” request form linked from your Member Dashboard.
If you have ideas for additional services you would like to see or take advantage of, please contact us and we’ll review them to see if they make sense for inclusion with the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates membership packages. Our best ideas come from our members! So we look forward to hearing from you.
Do you have additional questions – something we have not covered here?
If so, we invite you to contact us.
Ready to jump in?