Rise Up Patient Advocacy, Inc.

01/16/2026

Did you know Florida has some new laws to help to protect patients in the healthcare setting? Here’s an overview of these new laws:

Florida's recent healthcare laws benefit patients by enforcing quicker refunds for overpayments (effective Jan. 1, 2026), expanding mental health services with better assessments, discharge planning, and diversion programs (like the Tristin Murphy Act), improving blood clot (VTE) screening, and allowing chiropractic physicians to perform dry needling with training. These changes aim to increase financial transparency, improve behavioral health access, and broaden treatment options, making care more patient-centered.

Here are some key new laws and their patient benefits:

*Financial Protections
Patient Refund Law (SB 1808) (Effective Jan.1, 2026): Requires healthcare providers and facilities to refund patient overpayments within 30 days of discovery, preventing them from holding onto owed money.

*Mental & Behavioral Health
Standardized Assessments & Discharge: New laws (like SB 944) standardize clinical assessments and improve discharge planning from treatment facilities, ensuring plans address access to long-acting medications.

*Mobile Crisis Services: Expands specialized mobile crisis response for older adults, keeping them out of jail and in appropriate care.

*Diversion Programs (Tristin Murphy Act): Creates mental health diversion programs for misdemeanors and felonies, offering treatment instead of incarceration.

*School Telehealth: Mandates biennial reviews of telehealth availability, focusing on rural/underserved areas.

*Access & Treatment Improvements
Blood Clot (VTE) Care: New laws improve screening and treatment protocols for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolisms (PE).

*Fentanyl Testing: Requires emergency providers to include fentanyl testing in urine drug screens for unknown disorientation, potentially saving lives.

*Chiropractic Dry Needling: Allows trained chiropractic physicians to perform dry needling for pain, with required certification and standards.

*Stem Cell Sourcing: Regulates stem cell usage to ensure safety, limiting to FDA-registered sources.

*Home Health Flexibility: Allows RNs to perform certain home health visits (like initial assessments) via contract, potentially increasing access.

Let us know how we can advocate for you at Rise Up Patient Advocacy. Call Brandi Hornick, BCPA at 863-381-3186.

02/14/2025

This is a wonderful opportunity for our community and for parents/caregivers to be well informed on how to protect our children in this changing world of technology and social media.

11/29/2024

Happy Thanksgiving from Rise Up Patient Advocacy! We are thankful to all the patients and families who we have advocated for!

06/26/2024

Are you greeted like the first or second photo by the health care professionals? Either way, you have patient rights that must be followed in order for you and/or your loved ones to receive the quality of care each of you deserve! At Rise Up Patient Advocacy we rise up and give you a voice in your time of need and we are here to advocate for your healthcare needs. Call Brandi Hornick, BCPA at (863)381-3186 for a free consultation!

03/11/2024

Have you ever stood in amazement when you look at nature? Everything around us is wonderfully made. Nothing is an accident, everything has a purpose! YOU are the reason Rise Up Patient Advocacy is here to help you navigate and understand our healthcare system! We will educate you and guide you to help make the best decisions for you and your loved ones! Call Brandi Hornick, BCPA at (863)381-3186 for all your advocacy needs or questions! We rise up and give you a voice in your time of need!

riseuppatientadvocacy.com

08/17/2023

Our daughter Sydni is flying back to Maui today with many K9 cadaver dogs, FEMA, & Red Cross along with many more heroes who plan to help those in need. The sadness we felt as she boarded was overwhelming. Raise The Barre, Rise Up Patient Advocacy, and Hornick Homes will be shipping donations over to Sydni to pass out to those in need. If you would like to donate items, please drop them off at Raise The Barre and Rise Up Patient Advocacy at 5613 US 27 North on August 28 between 10-4 pm or if you would like to order items to ship, please contact me on private message for her address. Items needed are diapers, wipes, powdered formula, children’s items, women’s and men’s toiletries, clothing, etc. Anything you think would help! Many of her friends have lost everything. You may also go to her Instagram account, Sydni Shea Photography where she is posting links for families that she knows who could use financial help and will receive those donations. Thank you for your support and to everyone who has checked on Sydni and Brad. They were fortunate as it came a mile from their home and we also feel blessed God protected Sydni as she was in Italy and not traveling to the West side of Maui for photography as she frequently does, which could have been a different outcome for her. The island of Maui needs our help! And if you can’t give at this time, please just pray for them!

474 likes, 36 comments. “Not my videos but my hometown burnt to the ground. Prayers for Lahaina hawaii”

06/05/2023

We love with everything that we have! That’s why it is so important to make informed decisions and give informed consent when needed for ourselves and our loved ones. Those decisions can change our lives! And those lives are precious! Did you know you have the right to your own autonomy? YOU decide what medical treatments YOU receive and YOU decide if the treatment is right for you without coercion or mandates! In the state of Florida, a bill has been passed to protect your freedom of autonomy.

Senate Bill 252 – Most Comprehensive Medical Freedom Bill in the Nation:

Prohibiting business and governmental entities from requiring individuals to provide proof of vaccination or post-infection recovery from any disease to gain access to, entry upon, or service from such entities.
Prohibiting employers from refusing employment to or discharging, disciplining, demoting, or otherwise discriminating against an individual solely on the basis of vaccination or immunity status.
Prevents discrimination against Floridians related to COVID-19 vaccination or immunity status, etc.

We fought for your rights of autonomy as your advocate through COVID and we will continue to advocate for YOU! Please call Brandi Hornick, BCPA at Rise Up Patient Advocacy, Inc. at (863)381-3186 for your advocacy needs. “”We rise up and give you a voice in your time of need.”

04/14/2023

She was the reason I became a patient advocate! I had to fight and advocate for her when I didn’t think she would survive the cancer that was in her little body, but I wasn’t going to take NO for an answer! That’s why Rise Up Patient Advocacy will “RISE UP” and give you a voice in your time of need and we will not stop until you or your loved one gets the proper care!

Did you know the “No Surprise Medical Bill Act of Florida was passed in 2022? You maybe asking exactly what this can do for you. Well, that’s what we do at Rise Up Patient Advocacy, Inc., we educate and advocate for you so you know your rights as a patient in this changing health care field we all count on when we have medical needs.
In the state of Florida, there are comprehensive balance billing protections in addition to those provided by the federal No Surprises Act. Florida law states that insurance companies are not allowed to bill you for amounts beyond your plan's in-network cost-sharing amount. Health plans must cover surprise bills at in-network rates. The law requires private health plans to cover surprise medical bills for emergency services, including air ambulance services, as well as out of network provider bills for services rendered at in-network hospitals and facilities. An advisory committee will be appointed to recommend options for protecting patients against surprise ground ambulance bills. Out-of-network providers cannot send patients bills for excess charges. Importantly, the law specifies that providers “shall not bill, and shall not hold patients liable” for an amount that is more than the in-network cost sharing amount for such services, etc. Many other laws under this act are set to protect the patient. I remember very well when the hospital that diagnosed my daughter had to sign an agreement with my insurance so we could be considered in network during her diagnosis and treatment. This bill takes care of this for those families in the same position. Please give Brandi Hornick, BCPA a call at (863)381-3186 for your free consultation and for Rise Up Patient Advocacy to review your advocacy needs!

12/26/2022

Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄🎅🏼🎄

12/17/2022

Who lights up your life this season? I know my loved ones are my life line and I would do anything to keep them healthy! You are their best advocate when they are facing any health issues, but sometimes navigating our changing health care system can present many challenges. Do you need a patient advocate who can navigate the health care system and make sure the ones you love are in the best place to receive the care they deserve? Please don’t hesitate to call Rise Up Patient Advocacy and speak to Brandi Hornick, BCPA for your free consultation at (863)381-3186 or request an appointment at our advocacy office located at 5613 US 27 North, Sebring. After all, you and your family deserve a bright and healthy holiday season! Let us rise up and give you a voice in your time of need!

10/22/2022

Breast cancer screening can save lives. That's why the Affordable Care Act makes breast cancer screening and counseling free. All health plans must cover these benefits at no cost to you as long as you are not going in with a symptom, which is then considered a diagnostic test.

More than 40,000 women die from breast cancer every year. It's the second leading cause of women's death from cancer. Go for your screening and encourage your friends and loved ones too! If you need someone to advocate for you, please call Brandi Hornick, BCPA at Rise Up Patient Advocacy at (863)381-3186 or visit riseuppatientadvocacy.com “ We rise up and give you a voice in your time of need!”

09/18/2022

While childhood cancer is rare, it is the leading cause of disease-related death past infancy in children and adolescents. As a parent, it is important to listen to your parental instinct! If you feel your child is not feeling well and does not improve in any medical situation, physicians are there to help! You are your child’s best advocate, but if you need a patient advocate to help navigate the health care system or find the right physician for your child’s care, we are here!

September is CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH! Because she survived, these little boys and and their new little brother also have a life of love and happiness from the blessings of wonderful physicians, nurses, and medical staff who made hers and their journey possible!

We are here to help in any medical situation, large or small. Visit riseuppatientadvocacy.com or call Brandi Hornick, BCPA at (863)381-3186. “We rise up and give you a voice in your time of need!”