Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) Jeff Byars, founder of Sun Back Moon, LLC – Private Patient Advocacy & Healthcare Solutions in Cullman, was named 2022 Independent Advocate of the Year recently by the Healthcare Advocate Summit, the premier event created by advocates for advocates for anyone involved in medication patient access, navigation and reimbursement.

Advocates of the Year were named in four categories, with Byars winning the Independent Advocate of the Year, the first award of its kind by the Healthcare Advocate Summit.

BCPAs are patient advocates, credentialed by the Patient Advocate Certification Board, who help patients and their families navigate the healthcare system. They aid in activities such as communicating with doctors, dealing with insurance companies, scheduling appointments and even finding legal resources.

Byars, one of the first two BCPAs in Alabama, obtained his certification in 2018 and founded Sun Back Moon in 2020 after years of trying to navigate the healthcare system when his daughter, Claire, was in cancer treatment.

“My entire career had been spent in healthcare as both an Emergency Medical Technician and in hospital reimbursement. I thought I was set to navigate the healthcare system with ease,” Byars said. “But when a tumor was discovered in my seven-month-old daughter, I learned how difficult it is to navigate the system. If it was difficult for me with my background, it must be near impossible for someone with no experience with the system. This led me to patient advocacy.”