What does an end-of-life consultant actually do?

An end-of-life consultant helps patients and families understand medical situations, navigate complex healthcare systems, and make informed decisions during serious illness or as death approaches. At Informed Endings, that means translating clinical information into plain language, identifying gaps in care, advocating directly with your medical team, and ensuring your values and priorities shape the decisions made.

What is the difference between a death doula and what Veronica Phipps does?

A traditional end-of-life or death doula focuses on emotional and spiritual comfort. Veronica's practice builds on that foundation by adding clinical expertise. As a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner and Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse (ACHPN) with nearly a decade of palliative care experience, she can monitor symptoms, interpret medical information, identify care gaps, and advocate directly with your care team as a clinical peer.

Do you accept insurance?

Informed Endings does not participate in or bill insurance, including Medicare or Medicaid. This allows Veronica to remain a neutral, third-party liaison dedicated solely to your interests, without institutional constraints. All services are invoiced through a secure digital portal.

When is the right time to seek end-of-life support?

Support is most effective when you don't wait for a crisis, but it's valuable at any stage — after a new diagnosis, when treatment goals change, during a confusing hospitalization, or as you or a loved one approaches end of life. You deserve clarity and support from the start, not just when things become unmanageable.

Do you offer virtual consultations?

Yes. While Veronica provides in-person support throughout the New York area, she works with clients nationwide through video and phone consultations. Distance does not limit her ability to help you understand test results, evaluate care options, or prepare for important medical conversations.

Is this the same as hospice care?

No. Hospice is a Medicare-funded program delivered by a clinical team under a physician's hospice order. Informed Endings is an independent consulting service that can help you understand whether hospice is the right option, how to enroll, what to expect, and how to advocate for your loved one's comfort within the hospice system. Veronica works alongside your hospice team, not in place of it.

FAQs: Patient Advocacy & End-of-Life Consulting | Informed Endings

Frequently Asked Questions

Defining The Service

An end-of-life consultant helps patients and families understand medical situations, navigate complex healthcare systems, and make informed decisions during serious illness or as death approaches. At Informed Endings, that means translating clinical information into plain language, identifying gaps in your care, advocating directly with your medical team, and making sure your values and priorities shape the decisions that get made.
A patient advocate is an independent professional who acts solely in your interest and not beholden to insurance or hospital protocols. In the context of serious illness, a patient advocate helps you understand your diagnosis and treatment options, prepares you for difficult conversations with doctors, attends appointments with you, and ensures your voice is heard when the medical system moves too fast or communicates too little. Veronica Phipps provides this advocacy as a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner with nearly a decade of palliative care experience, offering both clinical fluency and compassionate presence.
A traditional end-of-life or death doula focuses on the genuinely valuable work of emotional, spiritual, and practical comfort. Veronica’s practice builds on that foundation by adding clinical expertise. As a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner, she can monitor symptoms, interpret medical information, identify care gaps, and advocate directly with your care team as a clinical peer. The result is a blend of compassionate presence and medical fluency that most doulas are not trained or licensed to provide.
No. Hospice is a Medicare-funded program delivered by a care team (nurses, social workers, chaplains) under a hospice physician’s order. This service is done for people whom a prognosis of six months or less has been established. Informed Endings is an independent consulting service that can help you understand whether hospice is the right option, how to enroll, what to expect once you do, and how to advocate for your loved one’s comfort within that system. Veronica works alongside your hospice team, not in place of it.
No. Veronica works alongside your existing care team as an independent advocate. Because she is not employed by a hospital, health system, or insurance company, she is not bound by their schedules or institutional constraints. She serves as your liaison to ensure your priorities guide your care, wherever you receive it.

The “Right” Client

Clients come from many different situations. Common scenarios include: a loved one who just received a serious or terminal diagnosis and doesn’t know what to ask or where to start; a patient who feels lost in a complex medical system and wants someone in their corner; a family navigating a loved one’s transition to hospice; someone who wants to complete advance directives and plan ahead while they’re still healthy; and loved ones handling medical decisions from out of state or remotely.
Support is most effective when you don’t wait for a crisis, but it can be valuable at any stage.
After a new diagnosis: When you need help understanding what comes next and what your options really mean.
At a crossroads: When treatment goals change or you are weighing difficult choices and need an objective perspective.
During a hospitalization: When things are moving fast, communication is fragmented, or you feel unheard.
As you approach end of life: When you or your loved ones need compassionate guidance through care transitions and final wishes.
Yes. Even after a hospice enrollment, families often feel uncertain about what to expect, how to communicate with the hospice team, or how to ensure their loved one’s comfort is being properly managed. Veronica can provide guidance, attend visits, monitor care quality, and be a steady presence for families during this time.
Absolutely. Informed Endings is not exclusively focused on the final days of life. Veronica supports clients at any stage of serious illness- navigating a new cancer diagnosis, managing a complicated hospitalization, weighing treatment options, or simply trying to understand a confusing care plan. Advocacy and navigation are valuable throughout the entire illness journey.

What Actually Happens

The first step is a free initial call (no records needed, no preparation required). You share your situation and Veronica listens. If it’s a good fit, she will recommend a service package or a custom consultation plan depending on where you are in your journey. Services range from a one-time clinical assessment and record review to ongoing medical navigation and bedside support.
Bedside support means being present as a steady, knowledgeable person during important or difficult medical moments. Veronica does not perform procedures, but she monitors comfort, answers questions in real time, supports family members, takes notes, and ensures the focus stays on the patient and not just the clinical tasks at hand. Many families describe this as having someone in their corner who understands both the medicine and the human experience of what’s happening.
Yes. Creating or updating advance directives is one of the most important things anyone can do, at any age. Veronica helps you identify your values and goals, understand your legal options (healthcare proxy, MOLST, DNR, POLST), and translate those wishes into clear documentation. The result is a legal and clinical roadmap that gives your loved ones clarity, sparing them from making the challenging decisions in a time of grief.
Yes, for pre-planning. Veronica provides guidance and resources to help you explore after-death care options including green burials, traditional services, home funerals, and body donation. She does not coordinate funeral logistics directly, but she can help you document your wishes so your loved ones have clarity rather than decisions to make in the middle of loss.

Logistics & Location

Veronica Phipps is based in New York, NY and provides in-person services throughout the New York area, including home visits, hospital accompaniment, and appointment support. Virtual consultations are available by video or phone for clients anywhere in the United States.
Yes. Distance does not limit Veronica’s ability to help you understand test results, evaluate care options, or prepare for difficult medical conversations. Many clients outside New York work with her exclusively by video or phone and find it just as effective for clinical guidance, care navigation, and planning support.
As an independent advocate, Informed Endings does not participate in or bill insurance, including Medicare or Medicaid. This independence is intentional as it allows Veronica to remain a neutral and flexible, third-party liaison dedicated solely to your interests, without being constrained by insurer policies or reimbursement schedules. All services are invoiced through a secure digital portal. If you don’t see a package that fits your situation, please reach out for a custom consultation.
Hospital social workers provide essential services, but they work for the institution and carry significant caseloads that limit individualized attention. Veronica works exclusively for you. She has no conflicting institutional obligations, no pressure to discharge you quickly, and no cap on how much time she can spend understanding your situation. She is also a Nurse Practitioner, which means she brings clinical depth beyond care coordination to her advocacy, helping empower you with what questions to ask the social worker and what services you might be entitled to that may have been missed due to constraints of the healthcare system.

Getting Started

Start with a complimentary introductory call. You do not need to prepare anything, no records, no documents. This is simply a conversation to hear your story and explore whether Veronica is the right fit. If she is, she will recommend a plan that works for your specific situation and timeline.
Pricing varies depending on the level of support needed, a one-time consultation looks different from ongoing advocacy over weeks or months. Veronica offers several service packages as well as custom arrangements for unique situations. Specific pricing is available on the Services page and during your discovery call. All services are paid privately; insurance is not accepted.
That’s exactly what the introductory call is for. Most people who reach out are in the middle of something overwhelming and aren’t sure how to describe it, let alone what kind of help they need. Veronica’s job in that first conversation is to listen, ask the right questions, and help you understand what kind of support would actually make a difference for you.