Patients are at the heart of health care. That’s why Aligning Forces for Quality communities put patients’ needs center stage and work to better engage patients in their care and in quality improvement work. AF4Q communities recognize that better engaged patients and families are needed to move the needle of health care quality.

This edition of Spotlight builds the case for patient-centered care, shares AF4Q lessons learned, and provides some practical tips and tools to help you get started.

Patients are at the heart of health care. That’s why Aligning Forces for Quality communities put patients’ needs center stage; and are working to better engage patients in their own care and in broader quality improvement efforts. AF4Q communities recognize the importance of engaged patients and families, and view them as key to moving the needle of health care quality.

This edition of Spotlight builds the case for patient-centered care, shares AF4Q lessons learned, and provides some practical tips and tools to help you get started with your own patient-engagement efforts.

Moving to a patient-centered model of care generates real change and improves care. Four AF4Q communities (Humboldt County, South Central Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Maine) were recently featured in Health Affairs. “Early Lessons From Four ‘Aligning Forces For Quality’ Communities Bolster The Case For Patient-Centered Care” highlighted the work of these Alliances to engage patients actively in improving care. These communities’ work adds to the mounting case for engaging patients in this way to achieve high-quality, patient-centered care.

Lessons from these four Alliances illustrate that actively working with patients in improving ambulatory care improves provider-patient communication, identifies and avoids potential challenges to new services, and improves provider and patient satisfaction.

A growing number of quality improvement projects are enabling patients, families, and advocates to advise and affect decision-making within their local health care systems. This new report from Aligning Forces for Quality shares the experiences of Humboldt County, Oregon, Minnesota, Maine, and South Central Pennsylvania, who are each engaging consumers to improve ambulatory care. While each approach is different, each communities’ effort demonstrates that including consumers across the continuum of quality improvement helps communities move toward a health care system that delivers high-quality, patient-centered care.

Patients and practices share a mission to improve patient health—a mission in which both parties play indispensable roles. Three AF4Q Alliances (Humboldt County, Maine, and Oregon) have developed a compendium of resources that details the implementation of patient engagement strategy. The toolkit provides case studies and insights into patient recruitment and training, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and developing a sustainable structure that fosters ongoing, productive relationships. The compendium is accompanied by video segments, which offer lessons and tips for effectively engaging patients in improving care. These three communities were among the first in AF4Q to implement this kind of patient engagement strategy on a broad scale, but others are following suit, and all are finding success and positive response, leading them to expand their efforts.