UNC Health Care

Nancy McElveen, PhD, co-chairs the UNC Health Care Internal Medicine Clinic Patient Advisory Council (PAC) with Derek Cain, MBA, Clinic Manager. Nancy is one of the original members. The PAC—active since March 2014—currently includes nine patient partners and four providers and practice staff.

Nancy joined the PAC after responding to a flyer describing the PAC and inviting patients to apply. Nancy has been a patient of the Internal Medicine Clinic and other UNC clinics since 1992. Nancy's daughter was also a patient at UNC.

Nancy says, “We’ve received excellent care for more than 25 years; being a member of the PAC is a way to say ‘thank you.’”

During her PAC tenure, Nancy has participated in tangible, continued improvements in clinic operations. One example is better communication about waiting times. White boards in the waiting area now inform patients of delays. When patients arrive, they are given the choice to wait or to reschedule. Subsequent surveys showed “exponential” improvement in patient satisfaction. According to Nancy, “We, collectively, clinic staff and advisors, turned this around!” As a new initiative, advisors and staff are rounding together in the waiting area to get feedback from patients on issues such as phone access, cleanliness, and satisfaction with care providers and clinic processes.

For other patients and families thinking about becoming advisors, Nancy has the following advice:

• If the opportunity is there and it’s a good fit, do it!
• Our patient partners represent diverse backgrounds but everyone has something to offer.
• Don’t worry that you have no clinical background; it’s your individual experience—as a patient or family caregiver—that informs what you contribute.
• Come to the “table” for the best interest of the clinic and of other patients.
• It’s so gratifying to be invited into the improvement process as collaborators with staff!