[annapurna]

Advocates help when you have too complicated a case or too little time to do the research yourself. By hiring someone, you have someone available to you who can ask the doctor/surgeon/etc. the tough questions. They can't, as both of you point out, substitute for the competent medical opinion. You also can't afford to forget that even though the advocate is being paid by the patient, he/she probably has a long-tanding relationship with the doctor/surgeon/etc. The advocate is trying to be biased in the patient's favor but isn't always going to get there.