WHO WE ARE
Our Why
We at Livingwell believe that patients find exceptional care when they are guided on their healing journey by a very experienced RN, a licensed nursing professional who possesses extensive healthcare expertise and insider knowledge.
The Team
Our team is comprised exclusively of Registered Nurses with decades of clinical experience, who not only know where the obstacles are in the healthcare system but how to safely navigate around them.
We are a New York City-based, nurse-owned and managed, nationwide patient advocacy and complex care navigation service that offers you expert professional guidance and medical decision support on how to safely navigate the healthcare system to find the right and best care.
What We Do
We work with private clients worldwide, providing professional guidance & support, on any health related issue across the life span, from the premature infant to the homebound senior aging in place.
Livingwell helps you find the most qualified physicians & surgeons, best hospitals, advanced treatment options, get second & third opinions, and manage transitions in care to include aging in place in safety, comfort and health.
Livingwell’s nurse advocates possess the professional expertise, knowledge and judgment to help you evaluate your treatment options, minimize your risks whenever hospitalized, and make well-informed decisions regarding your own or a loved one’s care.
For clients dealing with an ill or dying parent or loved one, our team offers guidance on home hospice, choosing a facility, signing a do not resuscitate order, or dealing with one’s own emotional turmoil surrounding these decisions.
How We Help
We consult in person, by phone or Zoom with clients across the United States and around the English-speaking world.
Once retained, we will research and identify your care options regarding the right physicians & surgeons, most advanced treatment options & best care to include home care & support personnel, then formulate an Action Plan to ensure that you receive the highest level of care.
You will gain a medical champion who will support and guide you and your family, while ensuring your safety and protecting your privacy.
Barbara Abruzzo RN, BCPA
Founder, CEO, President
Barbara Abruzzo RN, BCPA is a Registered Nurse, Board Certified Patient Advocate and Medical Decision Support Specialist. A social entrepreneur responsible for creating, building and leading three revolutionary healthcare service companies over the last 30 years.
Barbara started her professional career as an intensive care nurse before she embarked on a journey to affect change within the healthcare system by going into the business side of healthcare, first as a Vice-President for a national hospital staffing and home-care company, then by founding & building both a tri-state critical care hospital staffing service and a tri-state pediatric intensive homecare service that cared for ventilator-dependent infants and children in the home, building each company into an industry leader.
As a young child, Barbara had been hospitalized numerous times for major orthopedic surgeries beginning when she was just nine years old. Only in mid-life did she learn that she was born with a rare genetic disorder that had been the cause of her past orthopedic issues.
Her experience as a patient, combined with her extensive clinical and healthcare business management expertise, gave her a unique perspective of the patient experience.
After selling her hospital staffing and home care businesses in 1994, she found herself being asked for professional healthcare guidance by family and friends. Barbara was formerly a clinical nurse instructor and was easily able to counsel and guide individuals on how to find the right and best care.
She founded Livingwell Care Navigation in 1999 and built her medical advocacy and complex care management business into an industry leader using her unique approach to navigating the healthcare system which combined her personal experiences as a patient and her professional expertise as a Registered Nurse and Board Certified Patient Advocate.
As a pioneer in the health advocacy industry, having seen the need for this type of service more than 25 years ago, Barbara continues to lead and expand Livingwell's success based upon her unique ability to think outside the box and across disciplines.
Barbara and her team are committed to helping Livingwell's clients find their own path to health and healing: an informed path to finding the right and best care so that they can heal on all levels and return to a state of vitality and well-being.
Call us: 917-797-5517