Frequently Asked Questions

  • With MPA, Dr. Feren becomes your personal advocate. He will:

    • Help you ask your doctor(s) key questions about any health conditions or procedures so you can make the best decisions about your care and your treatment plan

    • Guide you to trusted information, so you don’t have to waste your time sorting through the overwhelming online information trying to figure out what’s up to date, correct, and most importantly, right for you

  • Since time with your doctors is often limited, it’s difficult to have a full discussion about your health condition or get answers to all your questions. Sometimes, you may have forgotten what you wanted to ask, or perhaps were too embarrassed to ask. Or you may have remembered your questions, but only after your appointment was over. Perhaps you didn’t know what to ask.

    As the saying goes, “If you don’t ask the right questions, you won’t get the right answers.”

    That’s why having Dr. Feren – an experienced, empathetic professional – as your own personal advocate makes good sense and can give you peace of mind.

  • A second opinion simply is getting an opinion from a doctor other than your current doctor and is nearly always a good idea, especially when a surgical procedure has been recommended.

    With a second opinion, you gather more information to fully understand your health issue(s) and treatment options, which helps you decide what’s best for you.

    It’s best to see the same type of doctor or specialist for your condition, whether it requires a procedure (like surgery) or not.

  • The short answer is “No,” BUT with Dr. Feren, you will have a credible resource that gives you a more complete understanding of your health condition(s) and your treatment plan.

    You’ll more fully understand how your condition(s) and treatment plan may affect your family and/or caregivers, better preparing you to manage issues as they arise.

  • Contact Dr. Feren here to schedule a free 15-minute virtual consultation to determine if he can provide guidance for your medical issue(s).

    Backed by Dr. Feren’s knowledge and experience, you’ll be able to make the best decisions about your care so you can have the best medical outcome and peace of mind.

  • Contact Dr. Feren here to schedule a free 15-minute virtual consultation to determine if he can provide guidance for your medical issue(s).

    If Dr. Feren determines that he definitely can be of help, then an up to 1-hour virtual visit can be scheduled for a fee. You, family members, and significant others – any of whom are involved in your care – are encouraged to attend.

    Payment is made in advance of your virtual visit (see “What is the cost of MPA” for more details on cost.)

    Each session may last up to 1 hour. Follow-up sessions can be arranged for a fee mutually agreed upon at the initial session.

    Dr. Feren doesn’t ask or require you to send him protected health information (called PHI or “protected health information”) such as laboratory reports, diagnostic imaging reports (x-ray, MRI, CT, nuclear studies, ultrasound), or procedure/surgery reports. If you voluntarily wish to share your PHI, it is best to let him know in advance and instructions will be forwarded to you so that you may forward those to Dr. Feren through his HIPPA-compliant and fully encrypted communications system.

    Strict confidentiality is maintained for any information before, during, and after a virtual visit. Your privacy is paramount. MPA does not sell personal contact information including email addresses and phone numbers. Voice and video calls made via Zoom are not monitored or recorded. For more information, please review Dr. Feren’s privacy policy here.

    At each session, Dr. Feren provides you with a series of recommendations that may include appropriate questions to ask, possible options to consider – like additional tests – as well as guiding you to trusted resources to review.

    With Dr. Feren, you have a seasoned healthcare professional at your side when needed for issues that arise from care that has become problematic, giving you peace of mind.

  • Dr. Feren does not:

    • Make or confirm a diagnosis

    • Treat you, including writing a prescription of medications or ordering laboratory and/or diagnostic imaging tests (x-rays, CT scans, MRI scans), though he may suggest that you ask your physician(s) about any of these

    • Contact or discuss your medical issues/conditions with your treating doctor(s) or other healthcare providers

    • Negotiate on your behalf the costs of any services, rates, or service availability

  • Dr. Feren advises on most adult conditions and procedures. However, he does not advise on children’s health (pediatrics), childbirth and women’s reproductive health, mental health, or complex health insurance questions (especially those related to billing). While it’s impossible to know everything about each and every medical condition, he can provide valuable insight into many cancers and assist in decision-making for end-of-life care.

    The good news is that planning is already underway to be able to cover all medical issues at some time in the future.

    In the interim, if you would like a patient advocate to help you with currently excluded health conditions, end-of-life issues, insurance, bills, or other issues, go to GNAnow.org — or ask Dr. Feren to recommend a patient advocate.

  • Contact Dr. Feren here to schedule a free 15-minute virtual consultation to determine if he can provide guidance for your medical issue(s).

    If Dr. Feren determines that he definitely can be of help, then a 1-hour virtual visit can be scheduled for a fee of $250, payable in advance.

    A portion of of this fee is always donated to charity.

    Any follow-up virtual visit fee will be mutually agreed upon at the initial visit.

  • Payment is accepted only through PayPal and in advance of your virtual visit. You can pay MPA’s invoice by clicking Pay Now in the email that was sent to you.

    If you don’t have a PayPal account, you can create a new account before you pay. If you don’t want to create an account, you can pay using a credit or debit card using PayPal. Here’s how:

    1. Check your email inbox for an email that includes the invoice.

    2. Click the Pay Now button in the email. (If you don’t see the button, click the link in the email or copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar.)

    3. Look for a section on the payment screen that reads “Don’t have a PayPal account?” You should see a link titled “continue checkout” somewhere in this section. Select this link to open the credit card input screen.

    4. Enter your personal information, billing address, and credit or debit card information into the appropriate lines on the input screen. Click the “Review Payment” button when you are done.

    5. Review the payment details displayed on the screen to make sure everything is correct. If you need to edit any of the information, click the “Change” button at the bottom of that section. When you are satisfied that your credit or debit card information is accurate, click the “Pay Now” button to finalize your payment.

    If you don’t have the email that was sent to you, please notify Dr. Feren at alan@mypersonaladvocate.net. A second invoice will be sent on request.

  • There are some important tips to help you get the most out of your visit with Dr. Feren and to make sure that all the time is used for your issues and not to solve technology problems. Please read Tips to Prepare for Your Visit for details.