Featured Consumer Engagement Stories
Paving the Way for Difficult Conversations
Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI), a Minnesota nonprofit organization comprised of 61 medical practices, strives to embed the patient’s voice and perspective across the continuum of quality improvement in Minnesota. A patient engagement program focuses on palliative care ...
Giving Chronic Disease Patients a Voice in the Patient-Centered Medical Home
Aligning Forces for Quality in South Central Pennsylvania (SCPA) strives to ensure patients with chronic disease have a voice in local practices’ transition to patient-centered medical homes. Patient partners are integrated into each practice’s team to ensure that the perspective of thos...
Engaging the Patient Perspective Produces Real Change
In 2010 Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation, a nonprofit quality improvement organization, launched its Patients and Families as Leaders program. This program provided five organizations—four medical groups and one health plan—with intensive training, coaching, web-based tools, ...
Engaging Patients in Improving Ambulatory Care
Patients are the heart of any primary care practice. 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 im...
Health Care, Meet Technology
WellSpan Health, a partner organization of Aligning Forces for Quality South Central Pennsylvania, is expanding an online portal to give patients more access to their medical information. As the movement towards greater patient engagement continues, technology is an essential piece of the puzzle. Th...
Engaging Employers and Educating Employees for a Stronger Community
High-deductible, consumer-directed health plans currently cover one out of three of all employees in the Cincinnati area. These plans, with their low premiums and minimal charges for preventive care, make staying well more cost effective than ever. On the other hand, getting sick, experiencing an in...
Getting Back to the Basics to Prevent Heart Disease
“I knew I needed to make a change and be proactive in reducing my risk for heart disease. The exercise program helped me lose over 25 pounds, and my blood pressure is down to 112/65. The personal trainers were amazing. I have more energy than ever,” said Gloria Kennedy. Kennedy, 53, a D...
A Community Embracing the Consumer Voice to Improve Care
Organizations that have patients and consumers at the table lend a valuable perspective to decision makers about the way care is provided in their communities. Hearing and learning directly from individual consumers—and including them as a part of the decision-making process—can provide ...
Building a New Health Care System Around Community
“I met other people with critical illnesses, and I knew I wasn’t alone. Our voices were heard, and we were able to make a difference in how health care is promoted in our area,” said Belinda Wee, PhD. Wee joined Bangor Beacon Community’s Patient Advisory Group after her posi...
The Empowered Patient
What does an empowered patient look like? They know how to come prepared for their doctor appointments, how to ask questions of their provider, and how to follow their provider’s orders. They know there is a difference between quality and quantity of health services. They know there is a weal...