Patient and Family Engagement Affinity Group

Recruiting Patient Advocates

June 19, 2013

Agenda

• Introduction and Framing• Carolinas HealthCare System PFE Data

Snapshot• Patient Advocate Speakers• Questions and Answers – Participation with

Speakers • Thank you and Learning Event Close

Director of Patient Safety, Carolinas HealthCare

System

Jason Byrd

Lisa Morrise

Patient Co-Lead for the PFE Affinity Group

Patient & Family AdvisorsPatient & family advisors work in a variety of healthcare settings sharing their personal stories to represent all patients and families in providing an educated perspective of care by bringing authenticity, empowerment, respect and inspiration to the design and delivery of healthcare systems. Patient & Family Advisor roles include partner, educator, speaker, listener, advocate, collaborator and leader, ensuring the focus of healthcare is centered on the patient and family.

Collaboratively written by Patient Family Advisors assembled by the IHI at the 2012 IHI Forum, Orlando FL

Leadership and Staff Support• Ideally, support for utilizing PFAs (Patient and Family

Advisors) and having PFACs (Patient and Family Advisory Councils) will come from the C-Suite (the Chief Executive, Nursing and/or Medical Officers of the corporation).

• PFACs and PFAs may be administered out of many departments, including:– Nursing– Quality and Safety– Support Services

• Select key staff to serve on a PFAC

Numbers• Try to enlist a diverse group of patient advisors

– Look for a representative group including a sampling of your patients’ ages, ethnicity, language backgrounds, geography and diagnosis

– Pull your demographic distribution from your data or look at your service area census data

– Not every single discreet category of patient can be represented, but you should try to include patients from different backgrounds

– If you receive multiple referrals from, for example, one diagnosis, use a few as advisors and save the rest of the referrals for later recruitment

Numbers• Please budget for a staff position to coordinate

advisors and funds to cover meetings and engagement (similar to volunteers). Consider stipends for patient & family time and/or travel related expenses.

• Advisors can actually save your facility $$$. One metric you may want to keep track of is the money you have saved due to advisor input.

• Advisors may help your facility achieve goals in many areas, including improved patient satisfaction and a reduction of harm across the board.

Bernard Roberson, Administrative Director of Patient and Family Centered Care at

Georgia Regents Medical Center

Reactor

Libby Hoy

PFCC Partners

Whom Am I Looking for?• People with patient experience in your organization• Representative of the population you serve• Distance from Diagnosis/Experience• People who have constructive criticism skills• People with a desire to improve care for others• People who can be a representative voice• Solution focused• Partnership skills• Teachable spirit

Where Do I find them?SELF REFERRAL Newsletters Email Blasts Outpatient clinics Website Physician Referral Coffee Carts Open House Recruitment posters Community• Resource Events Direct Mailers

STAFF REFERRAL Support

Groups/Disease specific meetings

Lobby Surfing Customer Service Grievance Committee Executive Rounds Unit Staff Community Mailers

Application

Provides pertinent experiences Provides a ‘flavor’ of communication styleStates the commitment up front Identifies areas of interestFormalizes the process and engagementSelf Selection opportunityAvailability identified

Interviewing Panels of Staff sponsor and current

PFAC’s Staff member alone Phone interviews, with limitations In person interviews preferred Open Ended Questions Identify Communication Style

Alice Gunderson, Patient & Family Advisor,St. Francis Medical Center, Lynwood, CA

REACTOR

Victoria Nahum

Co-Founder of H2Pi, The Healthcare and Patient Partnership Institute

Challenges in Establishing a PFAC

Challenges• Finding diverse members• Modeling partnership• Finding people passionate about

improvement• Finding experienced people who

relate to the experiences to others

• Finding diverse team personalities

• Developing a shared mental model about what we’ll do

• Ensuring security, privacy, immunizations

Approach• Broad solicitation• Recruit both care users & staff• Application essay question &

interview• Application essay question &

interview• Application essay question &

interview• Application brochure/cover

letter, interview & training• Standard volunteer processes for

security check, HIPPA & shots

Using a PFAC charter to proactively prepare for likely challenges

Challenge Approach• Developing shared mental

model of purpose/mission• Modeling partnership• Organizational support• Attendance• Leadership and teamwork• Leadership turnover• Finding the right fit

• Statement of purpose• Co-leadership• Executive +/or Board

reporting• Attendance requirements• Covenant (rules)• One year co-lead terms,

annual elections & succession planning

Questions

• Next Patient and Family Engagement Affinity Group meeting:

• July 22, 2013

• PFECs: Training Patient Advisors to Work Collaboratively

Next PFE Affinity Group Meeting