Krista Hughes - BCPA
Founder and CEO, Hughes Advocacy
Founder and CEO, Passion 4 Patients
Krista Hughes, BCPA, is a board-certified patient advocate and founder & CEO of Hughes Advocacy. Ms. Hughes advocates for better health care for her clients in Alabama and elsewhere. She has over 25 years of experience working in the medical industry, where she equips, empowers, educates, and teaches patients how to get the best care they need and deserve.
Ms. Hughes also launched and leads Passion 4 Patients, the first and only platform in the US for employers that addresses the whole person throughout the continuum of care, from birth to death, saving money and lives.
Ms. Hughes has emerged as a national advocate for patients. She was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Beccera to serve a three-year term on the National Advisory Council (NAC) for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). A resident of Birmingham, Ms. Hughes is the first Alabamian known to have ever served on the prestigious council that addresses the quality of care in the United States.
The council, which consists of 21 members from the private sector, including Ms. Hughes, and seven ex-officio members from other federal health agencies, provides advice to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the director of the agency on federal research needed to improve the way health care is delivered.
Ms. Hughes was invited to serve as a member of a National Advisory Council (NAC) subcommittee for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of this Subcommittee of the NAC (i.e., SNAC) is to provide guidance and recommendations on the strategic direction of the “National Action Alliance to Advance Patient Safety,” which is a partnership between HHS’ Federal agencies and private stakeholders, including healthcare systems, clinicians, patients, families, caregivers, professional societies, employers, payors and health services researchers, among others, interested in recommitting our Nation to advancing patient and workforce safety to move towards zero harm in healthcare.
On behalf of the White House Office of American Innovation, Ms. Hughes was invited to attend the Blue Button 2.0 Developers Conference at the White House to discuss improving patient care. She is an educator for the Leapfrog Judie Burrows Institute. In addition, she is a Patients for Patient Safety US Champion, a member of the National Patient Safety Board, and an active member of the Greater National Advocates Organization and Solace Health. She is also an APHA Emeritus member of The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates (APHA), a former Board President of the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy (NAHAC), a former Board Member of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, and a former Emerging Leader of The Womens Network (TWN).
Ms. Hughes has over 25 years of experience working in the medical industry. She has a tremendous passion for patients, and her goal as a healthcare advocate is to be your voice and put you back at the center of your healthcare! She equips, empowers, educates, and teaches her clients how to get the best medical care they need and deserve. Ms. Hughes believes in healthcare for all; patients should be treated equally with dignity, compassion, and respect. It is an honor and privilege to assist patients and their loved ones in their healthcare journey.
Ms. Hughes is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of Alabama, where she earned a degree in communicative disorders.
AHRQ NAC Group Photo
Organizational Involvement
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National Advisory Committee (NAC) for the Agency of Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ)
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Greater National Advocate Organization - The Greater Southeast Advocate Division
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Wego Health Member
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Previous Board President for the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants (NAHAC)
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Previous Board Member of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce
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Member of The Women's Network
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2017 Emerging Leader, The Women's Network