Debby Deutsch | Principal, Board Certified Patient Advocate
Debby Deutsch is a Board Certified Patient Advocate, holding a Graduate Certificate in Consumer Health Advocacy from the Center for Patient Partnerships – UW Madison. She is the co-founder and Principal Advocate of Patient Care Partners, LLC, a private patient advocacy firm serving Madison WI and beyond.
Debby has long served the Madison area’s patients and families as a hospital chaplain and hospice worker. When she experienced being a family member herself, bedside with her sister and father during extended hospitalizations and end of life, she was inspired to seek higher education and certifications as a means to further help others through individualized patient advocacy support.
“My team and I work exclusively on behalf of our patients and families,” notes Debby. “We are not part of any healthcare system, health insurer or care facility. As an independent third party, we help patients and families navigate complicated healthcare and insurance networks. We help with medical billing issues, care coordination, and Advanced Directives facilitation. Our clients are not all elderly, or ill. We work with parents of special needs children, overwhelmed adult children trying to help with Mom or Dad’s evolving needs, or ‘solos’ who need someone to serve as their emergency contact and trusted Advocate. Patients of any age – and family members who love them – stand to benefit from working with an independent Patient Advocate.”
Carol Wittenberg | RN MNA, Patient Advocate
Carol is a Masters prepared registered nurse with 30+ years of healthcare leadership experience. Carol’s passion is working with people to make their healthcare understandable. She has extensive experience serving seniors and communities.
Carol is also a “Trained Dementia Practitioner”. She feels that every person should be cared for and supported in a unique fashion that is individualized to their expectations. Each of us has a different set of priorities. The role of the nurse advocate capitalizes on the many talents that nurses have in direct and indirect ways. Nursing insight is critical to maximizing wellness. Nurses are leaders, educators, clinical expert, and advocates. We are the extra set of eyes and ears in helping patients and families navigate a very complicated system.
Nancy Arnold | RN, 
Patient Advocate
Nancy Arnold is a registered nurse with 37 years of experience in a wide variety of clinical and home care settings. She obtained her Bachelor of Science cum laude, in nursing at the University of Rochester. Her experience includes primary care, hospital inpatient and outpatient and home care. She was a manager of the inpatient unit of Agrace Hospice for more than 5 years. Nancy has served as a patient advocate for the Fitchburg senior center for over three years helping clients manage complex constellations of medical, financial and personal issues.
“In her nursing career Nancy has always focused on the individual patient and their unique needs. Helping patients and families navigate the complex health care system and empowering them to make informed choices and achieve the best outcomes possible is a continuing source of gratification in her long career.”
Terri Brouchoud | Social Worker, Patient Advocate
Terri Brouchoud has spent her entire career working with seniors in need of post-acute care. She is a Licensed Social Worker. From coordinating recreation programs to planning for discharge home to helping with benefit applications, Terri is prepared to help Patient Partner Care clients work through the challenges of navigating the maze of healthcare.
Terri holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse. She brings over 25 years of experience working in skilled nursing facilities and home-based infusion services. She has helped clients work through admissions, discharges, understanding financial issues, preparing advance directives and applying for financial assistance. She has a passion for educating people and helping them make decisions that are best for them.
Terri lives in Madison and enjoys spending time with her family in her home town of Mishicot and friends in Madison. She likes to entertain and it’s common to see her driveway full of cars on Packer Sundays!
Dennis Barnum | Advisor
Dennis Barnum is currently the Director of Operations for Thalchemy, a UW-Madison inspired startup firm developing advanced software for sensor detection on smartphones and wearables. Dennis has over thirty years’ experience in the high-technology and services industries, primarily in computer software and services. He holds a Master’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and participated in the MBA program at the University of Minnesota. He spent several years with Control Data Corporation, Minneapolis, in a variety of management positions in the domestic and international software and services divisions. Since 1986, Dennis has been involved in either high-tech startups or recovery of high-tech companies. He has founded several technology companies and has led turnarounds of several others. He is active in the MERLIN Mentors program as a volunteer Mentor. Dennis also serves in an advisory capacity for the Board of Visitors, School of Nursing, UW-Madison.
Dr. Dan Anderson | Advisor
Dr. Anderson has a long-standing passion for patient education and empowerment. He worked hard in his medical practice to make sure patients and their families understood and took part in their care. Like many of his colleagues, he is concerned that our system is losing its focus on single human lives. He seeks a patient-centered system geared toward safety, accountability, communication, and compassion.
