Rosalie Phillips, Tufts Health Care Institute
This sentiment is familiar, and you know that without consumers, your organization is incomplete. Here are some ways to embed consumer engagement (CE) into your organization's DNA through the strategic planning process.
Map CE goals directly to AF4Q goals
How can consumers help achieve AF4Q cost and quality goals as well as quality/equality indicators? Every CE activity should relate directly to these goals. Take for example long-term indicator 28: “Alliances will show improvement in identified disparities..." This could be achieved in part by recruiting consumer representatives from organizations that represent diverse community members.
Allocate sufficient resources and funds
Consumer representatives may need reimbursement for costs including travel, childcare, meals, or modest monetary awards for participation.
Advocate for meaningful consumer engagement
All staff should remain vigilant about how consumers might be incorporated into any project or decision-making opportunity. Generally, having more than one consumer leader on Alliance boards and bodies is ideal for promoting equality among stakeholders.
Determine with all stakeholders the value of a Consumer Advisory Council (CAC), a consumer-only group supported by Alliance staff. CACs provide recommendations to other Alliance boards and bodies. Some communities have used their Councils as a way to get consumer input on Alliance activities, while others have assigned them specific tasks, such as selecting patient experience survey measures for improvement.
What are some ways consumers can help improve health care?
Leadership positions and health care activism are a good start
Do consumers find certain performance measures—such as readmissions and avoidable complications data—useful?
Yes, but there must be context.
Why do consumers need to know how much things cost?
Information empowers consumers to make decisions.
How can my organization make our health care quality website more consumer friendly?
There are 3 key questions to answer.
How do I retain consumers in my program?
Be supportive.
How do we best support our consumer advocates?
Inclusion is key.
- Why do consumers need to know how much things cost?
- How do we help employers maintain their interest and energy in our partnership?
- What role do employers play in improving care quality?
- What frameworks can I use to engage and activate consumers?
- What are the benefits of personal health records?
- What is the Consumer Engagement Leadership Consortium?
- Where should I incorporate consumers into my practice or hospital?
- How do you explain the idea of “high-quality health care"?
- How do I clarify my role as a consumer within my organization or Alliance?
- How do I become a better consumer leader?