PFCC and the PFA Program at Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center, the first NCI designated comprehensive cancer center in Florida, has a long-standing commitment to patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) and to creating and sustaining authentic partnerships with patients and families. PFCC has been woven into the culture of the organization with meaningful support and involvement of senior leaders of the organization.
The Patient and Family Advisory Council
The Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) will be celebrating its 20th anniversary the summer of 2025. The overall Patient and Family Advisor Program (PFAP) currently has 70 advisors. PFAs have a variety of options for ways that they can participate and share their insights, perspectives, and experience to support the mission of the Cancer Center. There is a Program Manager for the Patient Advisory Program.
The PFAC has 16 PFAs currently serving on the PFAC. It meets monthly with a hybrid format. Two of its meetings, July and December, are social meetings to promote the essential relationships among the advisors and senior leaders who serve as members of the council and attend PFAC meetings regularly. The following are the senior leaders who attend PFAC meetings: Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of the Medical Group, Chief Nursing Officer and a Director or Nursing, Vice President for Ambulatory and Virtual Care, Vice President for Facilities, Associated Director for Digital Experience, Senior Director of Patient Access, Director of Patient Experience, Vice President of Clinical Quality, Director of Social Work, and Chief of Pharmacy.
During the week prior to every PFAC meeting, the PFA Program Manager meets with the PFAC Chair and Co-Chair and the Director for Patient Experience. Together, they review the agenda and plan the meeting. In the week following each PFAC meeting, they meet to discuss the meeting, what went well, how it could be improved, and any issues to follow up on. They maintain a log of issues raised at each meeting to ensure that they are addressed appropriately. The intent is to resolve issues in ways that work for all patients, not just for the PFA who raised the issue.
The PFA Program Manager also meets monthly with the senior leaders such as the COO, CNO, and the Vice Presidents for Facilities and for Ambulatory and Virtual Care and the Director of Patient Experience. The senior leaders’ regular connection with the PFAC and PFAs has reinforced PFCC and the concept of partnership within organizational culture. Senior leaders create the expectation with all their direct reports to include a patient advisor and a family advisor as they begin any new initiative.
There are subcommittees of the PFAC. One of these committees focuses on Communications. Staff working on patient facing communications meet with PFAs to ensure that the content and tone for the website and other communication avenues is appropriate.
PFA Participation on Moffitt Committees
There are many ways that PFAs can be involved at the Moffitt Cancer Center. PFAs are involved in over 50 committees and workgroups, including: Quality and Safety, Podcast, PARTNERS, Multiple Myeloma Advisory, Vital Talks (training for Fellows on how to share bad news), Clinical AI, Community Advisory Board, Patient Education, Green Committee, Geriatric Committee, Falls Committee, RESPECT Committee (a research committee), and more.
Peer Visitors and Coffee Connections
All PFAs are interviewed by the PFAP Manager and a social worker. Once onboarded as a Moffitt volunteer, There is a required 90-minute training on HIPAA, active listening, boundaries, and self-care. There are also hybrid monthly group support meetings for the Peer Visitors. Some PFAs also serve in a peer visiting role to support current patients through active listening.
After checking with the nurse manager on clinical units, Peer Visitors make rounds on inpatient units offering connection and support for patients and families and sharing information about the cancer journey. They also meet with patients and families in clinic lobbies, infusion centers, and the Patient Library and Welcome Center.
Five to seven Peer Visitors attend each of the Coffee Connection that are held every Thursday except the first Thursday of the month. A free breakfast is offered and can be eaten in the lobby area or taken to go. This is another opportunity for peer support.
PARTNERS
PARTNERS is a quarterly newsletter of the Patient and Family Advisory Program. Written by patients, caregivers and Moffitt team members, PARTNERS provides readers with personal testimonies, hospital updates and information about supportive resources. Three PFAs serve on the Editorial Committee.
Hard copies of PARTNERS English and Spanish editions are distributed in wall racks throughout all Moffitt campuses. Electronic versions, in English and Spanish, are emailed to all new patients and those seen in the past and upcoming 90 days, reaching 9,000 English speaking new patients and 900 Spanish speaking new patients. The open rate is around 45% for English and 80% for Spanish.
Patient Researcher Forum
This Forum was developed in 2018 after a patient with stage 4 melanoma asked to see the research lab for her type of cancer. The Forum sessions are now held quarterly and offer an opportunity for the research scientists and patient and family advisors to meet and share their different experiences with cancer and the cancer journey. Patients leave these sessions with a sense of hope, and researchers leave with new inspiration for their work.
A PFAC Co-chair said: “I feel this hope every day because of this experience.”
A researcher said: “Before I had a job, and now, I have a purpose for my life…”
For further information about a study of this program, see this Patient Researcher Forum video or this published study of the program.
PEP Talks Podcasts: Stories of Cancer, Connection, and Care
The inspiring PEP Talks podcast were initiated in 2023. Each month either a patient, family member, or Moffitt team members share a story of connection and caring. They speak about how patient- and family-centered, compassionate care made a difference in their cancer journey or in their work experience. The podcast production team includes patient and family advisors.
PFAC Annual Awards for Remarkable Care
Each year the PFAC presents awards for remarkable care, celebrating departments and individuals who have significantly enhanced patient- and family-centered care. Among the 2024 recipients were:
- Arts in Medicine Program, was recognized as an integral part of Moffitt’s commitment to holistic care.
- The Information Technology (IT) Department was recognized by the PFAC for the complexity and importance of their work, especially in ensuring the reliability of patient scheduling software, and managing the complex data systems.
- Eric Lau, PhD, associate member in the Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Department and the Molecular Medicine Program, was recognized for his consistent advocacy and amplifying the voices of both patients and researchers.
- Nessie Gezahegne, a certified medical assistant at the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Outpatient Center at McKinley Campus Infusion Department was honored with an individual PFAC Award of Excellence for her exceptional contributions to patient care.
The Patient Library was also a recipient of the 2024 PFAC awards. It provides information and a welcoming space where patients and families from all backgrounds and with different language and literacy can find useful information and support they need. The Patient Library provides patient and family orientation sessions on the Cancer Journey for patients and families. They are held in-person and online, and in English and Spanish, through the Patient Library. The Patient Library is staffed by three patient and family specialists and PFA volunteers.
These PFAC awards have been awarded annually for the last 15 years. They underscore appreciation and respect from the PFAC, and they promote a culture of caring and compassion at all levels of the organization.
Demonstrating Respect at Moffitt
The Moffitt Cancer Center is consistent in its commitment to patient- and family-centered even in the way it shares information about expectations for the Code of Conduct. See video.