July/August 2013, Issue 63

Only Two Weeks Left!

The 6th International Conference on
Patient- and Family-Centered Care

Call for Abstracts Deadline
August 15, 2013


Call for Abstracts Brochure

Submit Your Abstract Now 


Time to Submit Your Abstracts for the International Conference!
AHRQ Guide Helps Hospitals Increase Patient and Family Engagement to Improve Quality and Safety of Care
IPFCC's Fall Intensive Training Seminar Heading to Minnesota, Thanks to Leadership Support From Park Nicollet and HealthPartners
Congratulations to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Winner of the 2013 AHA/McKession Quest for Quality Prize
Congratulations and Farewell to Our Student Intern
Institute for Patient- and
Family-Centered Care
6917 Arlington Road, Suite 309
Bethesda, MD 20814
P: 301 652-0281
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E: institute@ipfcc.org
W:  www.ipfcc.org
Time to Submit Your Abstracts for the International Conference!

The August 15, 2013 deadline for submission of Abstracts for The 6th International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care to be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, August 6-8, 2014, is fast approaching. IPFCC is looking for abstract submissions that represent innovative and exemplary patient- and family-centered care practice and programming.

Key topics for submissions are:

  • Leadership Matters
  • Patient and Family Advisors—Strengthening the Impact
  • Better Together—Changing the Concept of Families as "Visitors"
  • Partnering Within and Across Settings and the Continuum of Care
  • Addressing Health Disparities
  • Education for Interprofessional and Collaborative Practice
  • Communicating in an Electronic Age
  • Healing Environments—Facility Design and Planning
  • Determining What Matters—Research Methods and Quality Improvement Approaches
  • Champions for the Common Good—Role of Government, Voluntary Agencies, and Funders.

IPFCC strongly encourages creative and innovative ways of presenting material, including team presentations, videos, and posters. Priority consideration will be given to abstracts that include patient and family advisors/leaders as presenters.

Take advantage of the easy online abstract submission process. Guidelines and instructions are available. The Abstract Review Committee will review abstract submissions, and, in early December 2013, will issue invitations to present at the Conference.

See the Call for Abstracts Brochure for more detailed information about the key topics, the submission process, and the Conference. Submissions must be submitted by 5 pm ET, August 15, 2013.

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A Hearty Thanks to IPFCC's Canadian Leadership Sponsor and Our Program Partner!

IPFCC greatly appreciates the support of both Providence Health Care, the leadership sponsor, and the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, the program partner, for The 6th International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care: Partnerships for Quality and Safety.

AHRQ Guide Helps Hospitals Increase Patient and Family Engagement to Improve Quality and Safety of Care



In July, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released its new online resource which provides four evidence-based strategies for hospitals to engage patients and families in their care. The field-tested strategies outlined in this new Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Safety and Quality can help hospitals make care better and safer by bridging the communication gaps among patients and families and their health care providers.

"Research shows that when patients are engaged in their health care, it can lead to measurable improvements in safety and quality," according to AHRQ. "Many of the errors we see in health care stem from communication problems," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. "That's why we developed this resource, to give hospitals practical, evidence-based information to improve communication on the front lines of health care—and ultimately keep patients safer."

The Guide provides four evidence-based strategies—including tools and resources—that hospitals can use to implement patient- and family-centered care practices. The strategies describe how patients and families, working with hospital staff, can:

  • Be advisors;
  • Promote better communication at the bedside to improve quality;
  • Participate in bedside shift reports; and
  • Prepare to leave the hospital.

The Guide includes information about how to select, implement, and evaluate the strategies; the benefits of patient and family engagement; and how senior hospital leadership can promote patient and family engagement.

Three hospitals piloted the strategies outlined in the Guide:

  • Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago, IL;
  • Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, MD; and
  • Patewood Memorial Hospital in Greenville, SC.

Results of the pilots showed that patient satisfaction scores, based on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, improved at all three hospitals, and hospital staff reported improved time management and more positive views of patient- and family-centered care.

AHRQ will work with the HHS Partnership for Patientswhich has made focusing on patient and family engagement a priority for its 26 hospital engagement networks and other stakeholders—to share the guide with hospitals across the country.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is hosting a webinar about the AHRQ Guide on August 21, 2013. The webinar is free, but advanced registration is required.

AHRQ's Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Safety and Quality.

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The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) funded this multi-year initiative to develop, evaluate, and implement the AHRQ Guide. The project team included partners with experience in and commitment to patient and family engagement, hospital quality, and safety. Led by the American Institutes for Research, the project team included the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care (IPFCC), Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS), the Joint Commission, and the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET). Other contributing organizations included Planetree, the Maryland Patient Safety Center, Aurora Health Care, and Emory Hospital.

IPFCC's Fall Intensive Training Seminar Heading to Minnesota, Thanks to Leadership Support From Park Nicollet and HealthPartners

Come join us for the Moving Forward with Patient- and Family-Centered Care: Partnerships for Quality & Safety, October 28-31, 2013, intensive training seminar in Minnesota.

This seminar provides three and a half days of comprehensive, practical sessions to help administrative leaders, board members, physicians, nurses and other staff, patients, and families collaborate effectively to advance the practice of patient- and family-centered care. 

IPFCC is proud to have leadership support in bringing this seminar to Minnesota from Park Nicollet and HealthPartners, which combined this year into a single consumer-governed non-profit health care organization committed to improving the health of their patients, members, and the community. Their comprehensive system consists of five hospitals, 1,700 physicians, 50 primary care clinics, more than 55 specialties and 21 urgent care locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. 


Park Nicollet and HealthPartners continue to expand their ongoing effort to create the most effective partnerships among patients, families, and health care professionals—all with the goal of creating better health, an exceptional experience, and more affordable care. Patient partners serve on advisory councils, participate in quality improvement processes, share their stories with employees, participate in new hire orientation, provide feedback on facility projects, serve on various committees, are included in frontline training, nursing orientation, Grand Rounds, and peer mentoring programs.

Minnesota seminar participants will have the opportunity to sign up for a patient- and family-centered care tour of the Farauenshuh Cancer Center and an open house showcasing several programs across their system that have been developed with the help and guidance of patient and families.

A tour of Regions Hospital new mental health building—which provides private rooms for patients, separate dining and common areas, and ample space and privacy for families and visitors—is also planned.

Continuing Education Credits are available for physicians, nurses, and social workers.

Registration is now open. Take advantage of the Early Bird pricing now through August 28, 2013.

Seminar Brochure

Congratulations to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Winner of the 2013 AHA/McKession Quest for Quality Prize

American Hospital Association-McKesson announced its 2013 Quest for Quality Prizes on July 22, 2013. The 2013 winner—Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts—is recognized for its leadership and innovation in quality improvement and safety. As the winner, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will receive $75,000.

"Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an urban academic medical center serving patients and communities in the Greater Boston area, was selected by a multi-disciplinary committee of health care quality and patient safety experts based on its sustainable and pervasive approach to achieve the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) six quality aims" of safety, patient-centeredness, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, and equity.

Beth Israel Deaconess actively builds partnerships with patients and families, has multiple patient and family advisory councils, and includes patient and family advisors on hospital committees. Learn more about patient and family engagement at Beth Israel Deaconess. The hospital publishes a quarterly e-newsletter that features the work of its patient and family advisors. Learn about the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit Advisory Council and hear Dr. Michael Howell, a critical care physician, share his perspective about partnering with patient and family advisors for ICU improvement and safety in this video.

Read more about this prestigious award, and view a new video about the hospital's commitment to quality and safety and partnerships with patients and families.



This year AHA/McKesson also honored finalist Franklin Woods Community Hospital—Johnson City, Tennessee with $12,500. Vidant Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina and St. Mary's Hospital—Centralia, Illinois each received a Citation of Merit. 
Learn more about each of these hospitals, previous honorees, and what makes these organizations leaders and innovators in quality improvement and safety. 



Applications for the 2014 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize ~ Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence are available on the AHA website. Completed applications are due on October 13th, 2013.

Read More...

Congratulations and Farewell to Our Student Intern

The Institute was thrilled that Ameera Rasheed Crossman joined the Institute as a student intern during her final semester of high school, and continued to work with us over the summer. Ameera's time at the Institute is coming to a close as she gets ready to head off to Colgate University, where she plans to be a pre-med student. She has an interest in psychiatry, psychology, and neurology.

Ameera's work at the Institute included assisting with a variety of administrative tasks, such as updating databases, processing publication orders, and proofreading documents. She also worked on spreadsheets, skillfully directed incoming phone calls, and displayed a knack for organization.

Ameera lives in Maryland with her parents, two sisters, and one brother. In her spare time, she enjoys music—listening, playing the piano, and dancing. She was a member of her high school Poms dance team. She also enjoys swimming, and teaching others to swim.

The Institute team offers Ameera hearty congratulations on her recent high school graduation. It's been a pleasure to have her on our team, and we wish Ameera every success in her future endeavors, in college and beyond.

Free Webinar on the New AHRQ Guide to Patient and Family Engagement

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is hosting a webinar about the AHRQ Guide on August 21, 2013. The webinar is free, but advanced registration is required.

Congratulations to Vidant Medical Center


A special shout out to IPFCC Pinwheel Sponsor, Vidant Medical Center, for receiving the Citation of Merit award from the 2013 AHA-McKession Quest for Quality Prize Committee. According to the Quest for Quality press release, Vidant "epitomizes patient and family-centered care by not only including patients and their families during the care process, but also in all aspects of hospital operations and improvement activities. Vidant has strong executive leadership and active governance engagement in quality improvement."

In addition to Vidant Medical Center, many Pinwheel Sponsors have been AHA-McKession Quest for Quality Prize honorees. IPFCC Pinwheel Sponsors honored since 2006 include North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC (2012 finalist); Memorial Regional Hospital, Hollywood, Florida (2011 Winner); Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI (2009 Winner); The University of Michigan (2008 finalist); Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH ( 2006 Winner); Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI and Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, Memphis, TN (2006 Citations of Merit).

Vidant, congratulations on all that you have accomplished! IPFCC wishes you continued success in advancing the practice of patient- and family-centered care!


Congratulations to Ten Pinwheels Sponsors on the 2013-2014 U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Hospitals Honor Roll

Congratulations to the following Pinwheel Sponsors recognized as top hospitals in 2013-2014 U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll for America’s Best Hospitals.

From Honor Roll of Adult Hospitals:

  • Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore;
  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston; and
  • Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis.

From Honor Roll of Children’s Hospitals:

  • The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia;
  • Boston Children’s Hospital;
  • Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center;
  • St. Louis Children’s Hospital—Washington University;
  • Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago;
  • Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Baltimore; and
  • Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

Learn more about the Pinwheel Sponsorship.