Countdown to "Patients First: Navigating Healthcare in America" the Introductory Course.
Top Expert Patient Advocate & Healthcare Navigator
Lisa Berry Blackstock
Lisa Berry Blackstock is an internationally recognized patient advocate, blending legal expertise, political insight, and first-hand healthcare navigation experience to guide clients through complex medical systems. Since 2008, she’s helped patients worldwide secure better outcomes with empathy, strategy, and unwavering dedication.
Discover How to Navigate Healthcare With Confidence
Patients First: Navigating Healthcare in America
Watch this short video to see how Lisa’s proven strategies can help you cut through red tape, protect your rights, and secure the best possible care. Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, or advocate, you’ll learn exactly how her full course can guide you step-by-step toward better outcomes.
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Nine focused, practical, information-rich capsules, each one tackling a different critical moment in the healthcare journey.
Patients First: Navigating Healthcare in America
Exposing the System: Why Healthcare Is Broken
It's Not Your Fault: The System Is Designed to Confuse and Break You
Why Do Medical Appointments Feel So Rushed?
How to Be Heard By Your Doctor
Emergency Room or Urgent Care?
Choosing the Right Care First: Every Minute Costs Time and Dollars
Outpatient Procedures: A Survival Guide
Before You're Put Under, Know These Crucial Things
Hospital Smarts and Safety
What No One Tells You About the Dangers of Hospitalization
Safe Hospital Discharges, Not Reckless Abandonment
The Essential Checklist to Avoid Disaster
Claim Your Power: Be the Driver of Your Plan of Care
What It Is and Understanding Why It Matters
Insurance Coverage Confusion: Put A Stop to It!
Essential Ways to Decode Your Benefits
Use Emotional Intelligence (EI) to Connect and Win In Healthcare
AI Has Its Place, But EI Is Irreplaceable
The Complete Course Comes With One More Essential Resource:
Patients First Companion Guide
A streamlined, quick-access resource that organizes Lisa’s most important strategies and checklists into one place. Instead of digging through notes or rewatching lessons, you’ll have the exact questions, reminders, and action steps at your fingertips. This guide makes it easy to stay prepared and confident in the moments when the pressure is on.
Work With Lisa One-on-One
Need Personal Help With Your Case?
Get expert guidance for your exact healthcare challenge. In your private session, Lisa will assess your situation, outline a clear plan, and give you the next steps to move forward with confidence.
A focused discussion on your specific healthcare challenge
Expert insights from decades of patient advocacy experience
A step-by-step strategy tailored to your situation
Clear next steps so you can move forward with confidence
Success Stories
"Lisa is an amazing advocate. She is 100% reliable and fights tirelessly for her clients. My bill for a week in hospital with pneumonia was over $120,000 - without insurance. I found Lisa after going through several other lawyers who were very discouraging and asked for large fees to get a tiny discount for me. But Lisa knew that the bill was grossly unfair, did not stop until she felt they would not reduce any further, and got them to reduce it to $20,000."
★★★★★
Thomas I. - Happy Client
"I was diagnosed with fourth stage pancreatic cancer in May 2022. I had Medicaid insurance, my first medical insurance in a long time. My companion Janet and I were completely lost trying to understand, no less negotiate, my few options. Once we started working with Lisa, we went from panicked to persistent. She gave us the guidance and information we needed to work with the complexities of overworked Medicaid representatives and kept us encouraged and calm."
★★★★★
Greg & Janet - Happy Clients
Lisa’s Story
Lisa Berry Blackstock is one of the earliest and best-known internationally independent patient advocates thriving in our field. A Stanford graduate, she practices worldwide, offering services utilizing her national political public policy insight afforded from her journalistic and communications work on Capitol Hill (1982-1985), combined with her legal background as an estate administrator in Los Angeles (1990–2007), and healthcare navigation savvy gleaned from her work as a private healthcare advocate (2008-present). Lisa‘s delayed diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia in early 2007 and her corrective brain surgery resulted in a deliberate redirection of her professional work into healthcare advocacy.
In January 2008, Lisa launched Soul Sherpa® Healthcare Advocacy Services in Los Angeles, California. She serves clients in the United States and abroad. Lisa‘s practices encompass in-person and remote advocacy work, mentoring services, and innovative educational platforms addressing effective techniques to navigate the challenges of being a patient. Lisa offer also offer Soul SherpaⓇ seminars, workshops, speaking engagements, guidebooks, and hosts gatherings for advanced healthcare planning. As a certified hospice and palliative care counselor, she approaches her life‘s work with empathy and sensitivity.
Lisa understands the political legislation that allowed the healthcare industry to move from being patient-centered to being primarily profit-motivated. These laws enable hospitals, medical practices, private equity firms, and public as well as private insurance companies to operate as they do. She understands it is impossible for an untrained individual to see through the surface of healthcare and apply assessment and strategy skills, which always result in better outcomes for patients, care partners, and loved ones.
Lisa is busy, but she relaxes as hard as she works. Her travels with her husband, Bob, take her anywhere there are two adventurous Australian shepherds, Indie and Tango, are welcome. She seeks solace in cultivating her garden and managing her stress with Pilates. Lisa intends to stay active and keep her mind engaged while continuing to help others.
Get In Touch
For questions about courses, speaking engagements, or collaboration opportunities, use this form to reach out.
With years of experience helping patients, caregivers, and advocates navigate complex healthcare challenges, Lisa is committed to providing clear information and connecting you with the right next step.
All messages receive a thoughtful reply as soon as possible.
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