Patient Advocate Foundation and National Patient Advocate Foundation Executive Board of Directors Name Washington's F. Marc Stewart, MD Incoming President

HAMPTON, Va., March 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) and National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF) named F. Marc Stewart, MD as Incoming President of the organizations' Board of Directors. As President, Stewart will help both PAF and NPAF build upon their exponential growth and progress in solving health care access barriers for patients and advocating at the state and national levels to ensure that the patient voice is represented.

PAF is a national non-profit organization, which seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation, assuring access to care, maintenance of employment, and preservation of their financial stability by providing professional case management services to individuals facing barriers to healthcare access. In 2012, PAF successfully resolved 109,147 cases for patients that required direct, sustained mediation and arbitration services.  NPAF provides the patient voice in improving access to, and reimbursement for, high-quality healthcare through regulatory and legislative reform at the state and federal levels.

"As a member of PAF's Scientific Board since 2003, I have been impressed with how these two organizations have evolved — NPAF in effectively educating policymakers about patients' access issues so that meaningful reform can be implemented to improve access, quality and choice, and PAF where dedicated professionals are helping patients overcome barriers to access so that they can receive the care they need.  I am honored to serve as the Board's Incoming President and look forward to working with this accomplished group of leaders to build upon PAF and NPAF's outstanding record," said Stewart.

Dr. Stewart is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and in the practices of Hematology and Oncology.  His area of expertise is in general Hematology-Oncology and his research interests focus on stem cell biology.  Since 2000, Dr. Stewart has been a Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington Medical School, Medical Director for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.  He also currently serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry and the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine.

"The PAF and NPAF Board of Directors are pleased to work with Marc to enhance our Foundation's ability to resolve healthcare access issues for patients in need and influence issues that directly impact millions of Americans' access to care," said Nancy Davenport-Ennis, Founder and Chairman of the Board of PAF and NPAF.

"I look forward to collaborating with Marc as well as Nancy to enable our Board to fulfill its governance functions.  We have a number of exciting new strategic initiatives we are working on, and Marc's passion for patients will help insure that both organizations continue to find the most meaningful and tangible ways to serve patients struggling to navigate a complex system of access, coverage, and payment," added Alan Balch, CEO for PAF and NPAF.

"With dramatic changes taking place in our healthcare system, PAF and NPAF will continue to represent the interests of patients to ensure these changes do not negatively impact patient populations, whether it be access to care or medical debt while also protecting access to important areas of our healthcare system such as specialized care that are critical to patients nationwide," Stewart further commented.

Dr. Stewart holds leadership positions with medical societies and associations including the American Association of Hematology/Oncology Program Directors, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Virginia Society of Hematology and Oncology, American Society of Hematology, and Washington State Medical Oncology Society,  among others.

About Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF)
Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability. PAF services are available to all patients, patient families, and medical professionals, offering nineteen programs and services ranging from case management to co-pay relief, as well as specialized clinical support through the MedCare Line.  Patient Advocate Foundation serves patients from all 50 states, and has physical locations at many of the top patient referral states including Texas, Florida, California, New York and Virginia.  

About National Patient Advocate Foundation
 (NPAF)
National Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization providing the patient voice in improving access to, and reimbursement for, high-quality healthcare through regulatory and legislative reform at the state and federal levels. NPAF translates the experience of millions of patients who have been helped by our companion, Patient Advocate Foundation, which provides professional case management services to individuals facing barriers to healthcare access for chronic and disabling disease, medical debt crisis and employment-related issues at no cost.

SOURCE Patient Advocate Foundation; National Patient Advocate Foundation