Role of Leadership

The support of health system leadership is essential for the successful development of a person-centered engagement strategy. Leaders across all levels of an organization, from the top executives to department and clinic-level managers have a role to play in building engagement strategies and fostering their ongoing development. Health care organization leaders are responsible for setting the tone of the organization, developing strategy and prioritizing investments in programs and activities that will allow engagement activities to flourish.

Key actions for health system leaders

• Review person-centered engagement resources and become familiar with concepts and best practice recommendations.
• Dedicate time for self-reflection on how you and your organization support person-centered engagement. 
• Understand how the current policy and regulatory environment impacts engagement efforts and what can and cannot be done within those constraints. 
• Dedicate resources to the establishment and support of a diverse and multidisciplinary planning workgroup to develop person-centered engagement strategies. The planning workgroup should include clinical and operations staff from across the organization, as well as patients and respected community members.
• Coordinate with the planning workgroup to conduct an initial assessment of health system principals and policies that impact patients and establish goals for the person-centered engagement strategy. 
• Develop a phased approach to engagement with the expectation that learning will occur over time. Organizations may choose to begin with the development of a system-wide strategy or start by piloting guidance with one department. Regardless of the initial approach, use early lessons learned to inform the advancement of engagement activities throughout the organization.

• NOTE FROM THE FIELD

  At HRHCare, a Planetree-designated FQHC, all new staff, no matter their role (executives, facilities, providers, etc.) participate in a two-day retreat focused on patient-centered care. The first day of the retreat features a panel called “Quality from the Patient’s Perspective” where patients share what is important to them, their experiences with their health center, and answer questions from retreat participants.

  SEE THE CASE STUDY

  Incorporate the findings and recommendations of the planning workgroup into organizational decision-making processes, policies and procedures, as well as the mission and vision statements in support of the implementation and operation of engagement strategies.
• Create strategies with measurable goals to routinely monitor the development and improvement of engagement efforts.
• Communicate the importance of engagement efforts to staff at all levels of the organization by highlighting engagement efforts during leadership level meetings and in organization-wide communications.
• Create protected time for all organization staff to participate in engagement training, planning, and ongoing mentoring activities and incorporate these activities into written employee performance standards.
• Ensure job descriptions and hiring practices reflect the importance of engagement. This can be done in several ways such as ensuring staff roles include engagement responsibilities, and asking for consumer input on the hiring process. 

Resources

1. Foundational Materials
   • National Academy of Medicine: Framework for Patient and Family Engaged Care
   • American Hospital Association: Strategies to Put Patients at the Center of Primary Care
   • Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Health Care Organization Guidance for Improving Health Equity
   • Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care: Understanding the Historical Context for Visiting Policies Brief
   • Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care: Advancing the Practice of Patient Centered Care in Hospitals
   • Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care: Advancing the Practice of Patient Centered Care in Ambulatory Care
2. Advanced Topics
   • Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Partnering with Patients to Design Patient Centered Care System Roadmap
   • Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care: HIPAA and Patent Centered Care Fact Sheet
   • Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care: Brief on Collaboration Opportunities Under HIPAA
   • Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care: Strategies for Educating Staff
3. Self-Assessments
   • American Hospital Association: Patient and Family Centered Care Self-Assessment Inventory
   • Planetree Leadership Self Reflection Questions