September 2011, Issue 44


Hospitals and Communities

Moving Forward with Patient- and Family-Centered Care

An Intensive Training Seminar ~

Partnerships for Quality and Safety


Registration

November 7-10, 2011

The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club

Madison, Wisconsin


Team Up For Health ~ Partnering with Patients and Families for Better Chronic Care
Scholarship Opportunity to Attend Intensive Training Seminar in Madison, Wisconsin
The 5th International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care: Update on Abstract Review and Opportunity for Exhibitors and Sponsors
Oregon Includes Patient Advisors on Patient-Centered Primary Care Home Implementation Task Force
Institute Welcomes New Staff
Institute for Patient- and
Family-Centered Care
6917 Arlington Road, Suite 309
Bethesda, MD 20814
P: 301 652-0281
F: 301 652-0186
E: institute@ipfcc.org
W:  www.ipfcc.org
Team Up For Health ~ Partnering with Patients and Families for Better Chronic Care

Team Up for Health: Supporting Patients for Better Chronic Care is a multi-year initiative, funded by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), to promote a "shared care" model, in which patients collaborate with providers on managing their own health. CHCF’s initial $2.86 million grant has helped “implement proven approaches to support patients managing chronic conditions and partner with self-care resources outside the medical system.” In doing so, this initiative has assisted “healthcare provider organizations to improve the delivery of care for people with chronic conditions before, during, and after the medical visit.” The focus of the original grant was on planning, implementation, and technical assistance. An additional year of funding will focus on spreading the initiative.

Central to the Foundation’s Team Up for Health initiative is the shifting from a “prescriptive model—where doctors tell patients what to do and patients are left to figure out how to do it—toward a 'shared care' model…. [that] focuses on engaging patients and families with chronic conditions through ‘self–management support’—equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to manage their health in their everyday lives—and through collaboration to improve clinic practices.”

Focusing on the needs of patients and their families, grantees:

  • Enhance provider and staff communication skills;
  • Create new ways to engage patients and families in their own care and in improving the clinical practice;
  • Plan and test strategies to transform care processes; and
  • Leverage existing community and online resources.

External evaluators are measuring the impact of the Team Up for Health initiative on patients, providers, and staff. Look for the report detailing the results of this evaluation in December 2011.

Checkout the Team Up for Health website to learn more about the three key elements:

  • Team + Practice Transformation;
  • Patient + Family Engagement; and
  • Proactive Support Outside the Visits.

The Team Up For Health website also contains interviews with Team Up grantees, patients, families, and leaders in the field, as well as tools, resources, and links to additional information. Check out these video clips, which include comments from Bev Johnson, CEO and President of the Institute, Collaborating with Patients and Culture of Improvement.

Scholarship Opportunity to Attend Intensive Training Seminar in Madison, Wisconsin

Is your organization a Pinwheel Sponsor? Are you planning to send a team to the Hospitals and Communities Moving Forward with Patient- and Family-Centered Care Intensive Training Seminar to be held November 7-10, 2011, in Madison, Wisconsin? If so, your organization is eligible to be considered for a scholarship for an additional team member to attend the seminar. Interested Pinwheel Sponsors please submit your organization's name to the Institute by September 30, 2011, to be included in the random drawing for one paid seminar registration for an additional participant to attend the Madison seminar.

This three and a half day Intensive Training Seminar offers a wide array of learning opportunities, including plenary sessions, small group interactive topical sessions, and networking opportunities. Faculty will review pre-seminar personal learning goals of registrants. Participant teams enjoy individualized planning time with faculty during the seminar as well as access to post-seminar telephone technical assistance to follow up with seminar faculty. Participants leave with a wealth of information, including take-home resources. Focused sessions for administrative and clinical leaders will also be offered.

The variety of break-out sessions offered will be of interest to interdisciplinary teams from hospitals, ambulatory practices, and health systems. Here is just a taste of what is being offered that may be of particular interest to those with an interest in ambulatory/primary care:

  • Applying Patient- and Family-Centered Concepts to Primary Care
  • Primary Care that Feels Like Home–Lessons from an Active Medical Home
  • Collaborating with Youth and Families to Create Successful Transitions to Adult Health Care
  • Medication Management in the Ambulatory Setting: Engaging Patients, Families, and Caregivers to Enhance Safety
  • Integrating Patient- and Family-Centered Concepts in the Development of the Medical Home: A State Leader’s Perspective
  • Advancing the Practice of Patient- and Family-Centered Care in the Medical Home
  • Advancing the Practice of Self-Management Support in Primary Care and Other Ambulatory Settings
  • Building Partnerships Across the Continuum of Care
For a complete listing of sessions, consult the Seminar Agenda.

See the Seminar Brochure for more information about the seminar, including details about the optional tour of the American Family Children's Hospital (registration required and space is limited).

This seminar frequently sells out, so Register now.
The 5th International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care: Update on Abstract Review and Opportunity for Exhibitors and Sponsors

The 5th International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care: Partnerships for Quality and Safety will be held in Washington, DC, June 4-6, 2012. More than 325 abstracts for the Conference are now in external review by health care professionals and patient and family leaders. In mid-October, the Institute will communicate decisions to individuals who submitted abstracts. Conference registration will open January 2012.

The Conference will showcase innovative health care programs that are dedicated to partnerships with patients and families to improve outcomes and enhance the quality and safety of health care. It will include presentations from hospitals, community-based programs, public health and mental health agencies, mind-body, complementary, and alternative medicine, patient- and family-led organizations, physicians, nurses, and other health-care providers, and those committed to best practices in medical education and architecture/design-planning. Attendees will include hospital and health care administrators, physicians, nurses, and other clinicians, social workers, patient and family leaders, and other key health care leaders. This conference is a tremendous opportunity to meet and reach out to leaders who are on the forefront of improving health care quality and safety and the experience of care.

There are several exciting ways that companies or organizations can have a visible presence at this conference. Opportunities include being an exhibitor, underwriting a conference activity, advertising in the conference syllabus, and becoming a Pinwheel Sponsor. Any of these options will not only support the work of the Institute, but also will give your organization the opportunity to meet with internationally recognized leaders in patient- and family-centered care.

Learn more in the Invitation to Exhibit and Sponsor, which provides key details. If you have any questions about being an exhibitor or sponsor, please call Julie Moretz at 301-652-0281.


Welcome to Sherry and Alex

The Institute is also happy to welcome Sherry Hajec and Alex Vergara to the Institute team. 

Sherry, as a Special Projects Program Associate, works on seminar action plans and Institute resources, as well as the upcoming International Conference. Originally from Louisiana, Sherry has almost twenty years of experience in accounting. Since the birth of her son, who has congenital heart disease, Sherry volunteers with the MCG Medical Center Children’s Heart Program (CHP), and also served as the CHP's paid parent coordinator. Sherry brings a passion to her work.

She lives in South Carolina with her husband, her son—who is in high school, and her daughter—who is in college.

Alex is working for the Institute as a staff accountant. Originally from Colombia, South America, Alex brings expertise to the Institute, with years of experience in banking, accounting, and finance. Alex is also the Principal/Director of AV Financial and Trading Solutions, a company that specializes in full service bookkeeping and financial data management.

In her leisure time, Alex enjoys traveling, reading, swimming, camping, and dining out. 

The Institute extends a warm welcome to Alex and Sherry.

Oregon Includes Patient Advisors on Patient-Centered Primary Care Home Implementation Task Force

The Patient-Centered Primary Care Home (PCPCH), also known as patient-centered medical home, is a model of primary care with a focus on wellness and prevention, coordination of care, active management and support of individuals with special health care needs, and a patient- and family-centered approach to all aspects of care. This model has received attention for its potential to improve health while providing excellent patient care for reasonable costs.



The Oregon Health Authority (OHA), created by the Oregon legislature, established the Oregon PCPCH Program to develop strategies to identify and measure patient-centered primary care homes, promote their development, and encourage this new model of care in Oregon.

As a part of this initiative, the OHA and the Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF) convened a diverse group—including patient advisors, as well as primary care and mental health clinicians and public health and health care delivery technical experts from across Oregon to provide recommendations to support broad implementation of PCPCH in Oregon. The task force, facilitated by Mary Minniti (see article below), will provide infrastructure and technical support recommendations to OHA and NWHF. It is hoped that the collaborative effort will help align the resources, programs, and priorities of all key health care delivery stakeholders in the state so that all clinics will meet Oregon PCPCH standards by December 2012.

The task force membership represents a varied constituency. Members are knowledgeable about patient- and family-centered primary care home systems and health care quality. The task force includes patient and family advisors, family doctors, nurse practitioners, pediatricians, Health Department staff, behavioral health professionals, a health plan executive, a hospital executive, and a diversity expert.

The task force is comprised of four work groups: Quality Improvement/Change Management, Patient and Leadership Engagement, Clinic and Community Teams, and Data Support. Meetings are scheduled through October 2011, and the communities served are invited to provide ongoing input. More information, including meeting agendas and materials, are available online.

Institute Welcomes New Staff


The Institute is thrilled to welcome Mary Minniti, BS, CPHQ as a Program and Resource Specialist. As an Institute team member, Mary is working with the Colorado Health Foundation in advancing the practice of patient- and family-centered care within their organization and with the broad health care partners with whom they collaborate including safety net clinics. Mary also will be assisting in updating Institute publications.

Mary brings a wealth of experience, having spent more than 25 years working in quality improvement, community organizing, and enhancing the patient experience of care. Her experience in implementation of patient-centered medical homes, extensive work with patient and family advisors, and in research, will be an asset to the Institute.

Previously, Mary worked in a variety of capacities for PeaceHealth, an integrated health care system serving communities in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. As the Pursuing Perfection Project Manager in Whatcom County, Mary worked to develop a community-wide chronic care management system that is patient-centered. She also served as the Quality Improvement Director for PeaceHealth Medical Group (PHMG) in Eugene, Oregon. Mary will continue serving as facilitator with the Oregon task force on patient-centered care primary care homes (see article above).

Mary’s passion is bringing patients and family members into conversations about health care transformation because of the positive and powerful outcomes it creates for all involved. Mary is a proud new grandmother, an avid gardener, and dog lover.

The Institute is delighted to welcome, Mary!

Giving Members a Say in Benefit Plan Design

Look for the article Giving Members a Say in Benefit Plan Design in the July issue of Managed Care, which advocates members having input on coverage issues. In the article, Bev Johnson, CEO and President of the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care, notes that “when we involve [patients] in discussions, we often find they have practical, less costly suggestions… having members on working committees and councils is where you really start seeing change in the nature of conversations about improving safety, quality, and the experience of care.”

Safe and Sound in the Hospital


Check out Safe and Sound in the Hospital, a book from the founder of CampaignZERO, an organization that provides safety strategies to patients and their families to prevent medical errors. This book, which will be available in October from the Institute's Resource/Publications department, contains checklists for “Getting the Care You Want for the People You Love” when they are in the hospital.