A New Kind of Healthcare Advocate: Why Some Families Choose Private Health Management

What’s in this article:

• Navigating a complex healthcare system
• About Private Health Management (PHM)
• How PHM can make a difference
• Concierge medicine and healthcare advocate: what’s the difference?
• When can PHM help?
• Open enrollment for Coldstream clients and webinar information

One of the most common concerns I hear from clients isn’t actually about investing, taxes, or estate planning.

It’s healthcare.

Navigating a complex healthcare system

Their worries aren’t generally over insurance, but focus on how to navigate a healthcare system that often feels overwhelming, fragmented, and time-consuming—especially when facing a new diagnosis, making complex medical decisions, caring for aging parents, or managing an ongoing health challenge.

Common questions many people are asking include:

• Am I getting the right care?
• Do I have all the information I need?
• Should I seek another opinion?
• Who can help me coordinate all of this?

Over the years, I’ve realized that having excellent doctors doesn’t necessarily make healthcare easy. You still have to navigate specialists, appointments, insurance, treatment options, and sometimes conflicting medical opinions.

About Private Health Management (PHM) and how it can make a difference

That’s what first sparked my interest in Private Health Management (PHM), an exclusive resource available to Coldstream clients.

Rather than start with what PHM does, I’d rather share how I’ve seen it make a difference for people as they navigate their healthcare.

• My 90-year-old father turned to PHM after receiving conflicting medical opinions and wanting an independent perspective on his options. My brother relied on them when deciding whether a particular medication was the right choice for him.
• My own experiences showed me that PHM’s services extend beyond support related to major diagnoses. They helped me gain quicker access to an important medical appointment and provided logistical support for care my daughter was receiving while she was studying abroad.
• I’ve also seen the impact PHM can have when the stakes are much higher. One colleague’s mother used PHM to help coordinate care and navigate treatment decisions after a breast cancer diagnosis. Another colleague facing Stage IV pancreatic cancer worked with PHM to identify treatment options and evaluate clinical trials.

What has impressed me most is the breadth of situations they may be able to help with—from resolving billing issues and finding the right specialist to guiding families through some of the most difficult healthcare decisions they’ll ever face.

What Is Private Health Management?

Private Health Management (PHM) is an independent healthcare advisory service that helps individuals and families make informed decisions when facing important health issues. Whether you’re trying to understand a new diagnosis, evaluate treatment recommendations, find the right specialist, or navigate a serious illness, PHM brings together the expertise and support needed to help you make confident decisions and pursue the best possible care.

Their team includes advanced practice clinicians, PhD research scientists, and experienced care coordinators who work in partnership with you and your existing healthcare providers—not to replace them—to help you understand your options, coordinate the expertise and resources your situation requires, and remain by your side as your needs evolve and new questions or opportunities arise.

Not concierge medicine—a complement to it

Many of our clients already have concierge physicians, and one of the first questions I hear is, “how is this different?”

A concierge physician provides your medical care and enhanced access to your doctor.

PHM serves a different role. They act as an independent healthcare advocate, helping coordinate among providers, evaluating treatment options, connecting you with leading specialists, and ensuring you have the information you need to make informed decisions.

I often describe it this way:

A concierge physician is part of your healthcare team. PHM helps you manage the healthcare team.

Many families find the two services work exceptionally well together.

When can PHM help?

One of the things I’ve come to appreciate is that PHM isn’t just for medical crises.

They can be helpful when you’re:

• Navigating a new or complex diagnosis
• Caring for aging parents
• Managing care across multiple specialists
• Seeking a second opinion
• Trying to understand treatment options
• Looking for the right specialist
• Resolving complicated insurance or billing issues
• Planning ahead so you have an experienced healthcare advocate before you need one

In other words, they can provide value across a wide range of situations—from routine healthcare navigation to some of life’s most challenging medical decisions.

Final thoughts

I’ve always believed that our role as advisors extends beyond managing portfolios. We help clients navigate the events that have the greatest impact on their lives—and few things affect a family’s wellbeing more than their health.

At Coldstream, we believe wealth is about more than financial assets. It’s about helping families live well, make informed decisions, and find trusted resources when life becomes complicated.

Private Health Management isn’t a replacement for your physicians, insurance, or concierge doctor. It’s an additional layer of expertise and advocacy designed to help you navigate today’s increasingly complex healthcare system with greater confidence and less stress.

Open enrollment for the program takes place during August. If you’d like to learn more about PHM or whether it might be a good fit for your family, please join us for an informative webcast offered on August 3^rd at noon and 5pm, or reach out to your Coldstream wealth management team for more information.

August 3, 2026, 12:00 p.m. PT: Join webinar here

August 3, 2026, 5:00 p.m. PT: Join webinar here

Details about the PHM services offered to Coldstream clients and registration details are available here. You can also read about more PHM client success stories on their Wall of Purpose here.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Readers should consult with qualified professionals regarding their specific circumstances.