Consumer Engagement

When the Albuquerque Coalition for Healthcare Quality in Albuquerque, NM, spent $80,000 for radio and print advertising to launch a public information campaign about how to get the right care at the right time at the right place, it hardly expected to triple its projected reach.

But that’s exactly what happened when the AF4Q Alliance’s “Is it an emergency or an urgency?” campaign caught on in the Albuquerque media market. The program, which aimed to help consumers determine whether their medical situations warranted a visit to an emergency department (ED) or...

Watch this video to learn more about the South Central Pennsylvania alliance Planned Care Collaborative and Patient Partner programs!

HMCT launched a new smartphone app that connects users to quality information about health care provided in the Greater Memphis region. The app, based on information from HMCT’s public reporting website www.healthcarequalitymatters.org, puts information about diabetes, pediatric care, and women’s health into patient’s pockets! “Patients need to be both educated and engaged with their health care” said Reneé S. Frazier, CEO of the Health Memphis Common Table....

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. A report from Aligning Forces for Quality shares the experiences of five communities that are engaging consumers to improve ambulatory care. A recent Lessons Learned piece describes efforts made in the Humboldt County, Oregon, Minnesota, Maine, and South Central Pennsylvania alliances to incorporate consumer engagement into ambulatory quality improvement efforts. While each approach is different, each communities...

Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA (AF4Q – South Central PA) launched its new website (www.Aligning4HealthPA.org) in an effort to provide more resources (videos, tip sheets, events, etc.) and easy-to-understand information that leads patients to become more engaged in their care, and receive the right care at the right time. AF4Q – South Central PA is one of 16 communities across the nation that’s focused on helping patients understand what high quality care is, and how to...

The strengths and benefits of Our Pathways to Health, an innovative program of the Community Health Alliance of Humboldt County, were touted recently in the EurekaTimes-Standard. The 15-hour, six-week workshop has more than 500 graduates since the first class was held in Humboldt County in 2008. This program for consumer engagement work at the Humboldt AF4Q Alliance has shown marked results in the community. Our Pathways to Health participants demonstrate sizable improvements in...

"For people with the most common type of low back pain, imaging tests don’t give doctors much information that’s useful for diagnosis or treatment and a non-prescription pain reliever is the best choice if medication is needed. Despite that, 2010 data shows at least 26 percent of Oregonians who received care for a new episode of simple low back pain received an imaging test and approximately 15 percent filled prescriptions for narcotic pain relievers within 90 days.

A new campaign launched as part of the Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation’s Partner for...

The 2012 Heart Failure calendar and companion nurse teaching guide are now available to help heart failure patients to take control of their condition. You Can Live with Heart Failure – Healthy Habits for...

The Albuquerque Coalition for Healthcare Quality launched a series of radio ads to educate patients about when to use an emergency department (ED) or an urgent care facility. In addition to radio ads, the Alliance is also implementing print ads in local newspapers and posters in public buildings and private employer sites. This campaign aims to reduce non-emergency visits to the ED, resulting in higher quality of care, improved efficiency, and shorter ED wait times. Pat Montoya, director of ACHQ, notes that this public service announcement initiative is part of a bigger strategy at the...

The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ) co-sponsored the Patient Experience Summit with the Wisconsin Medical Society and the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) on September 30 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  The event was funded through the Aligning Forces for Quality grant.  WCHQ brought together more than 35 health care organizations from throughout Wisconsin with more than 120 health care professionals participating in the day-long event.  the Summit featured presentations about local strategies and successes, key roles in the patient experience, and...