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Patient Advocacy Teams: Patients as Advisors. Dr. Christopher Pezzullo Barbara Shuman University Healthcare for Kids. Creating a Patient Advocacy Team. Purpose – To collect parents’ feedback about what an “ideal” practice would look like with regards to: Access/Appointment Scheduling
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Patient Advocacy Teams: Patients as Advisors Dr. Christopher Pezzullo Barbara Shuman University Healthcare for Kids
Creating a Patient Advocacy Team • Purpose – To collect parents’ feedback about what an “ideal” practice would look like with regards to: • Access/Appointment Scheduling • Office Visits • Follow up • We wanted to know about: • Their experiences to date • The type of experiences they would like to have with the practice serving their children’s healthcare needs.
Process • Get team buy in • Identify meeting details • Time, location, staff, length of meeting, meeting roles (leader, facilitator, time keeper, recorder) • Identify interested parents • Each provider identified/contacted one parent • Selection criteria: • interest • different perspective (two parent household vs. single parent; typical patient vs. special needs) • Insurance (MaineCare/Commercial)
Process (cont.) • Brainstorm questions for parents • Design the agenda • Establish brainstorming ground rules • No interrupting • Respect confidentiality • Openness to feedback • Honesty • Don’t hold opinions against others outside the room
Meeting introduction • What UHC is doing regarding Practice Redesign • Outline the plan for team meetings • Appreciate all honest/critical feedback with absolutely no retaliation • Complete confidentiality – parents’ names will not be used in any way
Agenda • Meetings were held weekly for 60 minutes over a 3 week period. • Access/Appointment Scheduling • Office Visit (check-in through check-out) • Follow-up: lab results, x-rays, treatment plans/clinical follow-up
Wrap up • Wrap up and report out meeting held the 4th week (UHC team members only): • Brainstorm list of quick fixes • Review all parent feedback prior to meeting & come prepared to discuss with team • Through a voting process identify the top 3 quick fixes • Once top 3 are identified, brainstorm quick fix solutions • Develop process for reporting progress/changes to parents • Meet quarterly with parent group – new parents are added yearly
Accomplishments • Shortened wait time in waiting room to less than 5 minutes, and immediate rooming for acute illness. • Divided waiting room into smaller seating arrangements, removed trains, toys and added books and coloring pages. • All pharmaceutical rep materials, posters, etc. are left with the front desk for provider review before being displayed. • Check with patient/parent before using office visit as a teaching opportunity.
Learning • Shifting thinking from employee to parent when brainstorming lends additional perspective • Important to evaluate each meeting • Avoid temptation to “fix” things; stay on track • Having parents part of the team has been really energizing!! • You can’t make every change • Some ideas are cost prohibitive • Some remove necessary equipment from visit rooms