Formed in 2017, the MHA statewide PFAC is comprised of patients, family members, patient advocates, hospital staff and providers in Missouri.

One of only a handful of state-level councils in the nation, MHA’s PFAC is focused on increasing the role of patients and family members to improve health care delivery, health outcomes and reignite joy in work through improved patient-provider relationships.

Recognized as a CMS priority focus area in 2018, MHA’s statewide PFAC serves to provide leadership and support to advocate for the sustainable integration of patient and family engagement across the care continuum in Missouri to achieve the Quadruple Aim.

Priorities

Key Outcome Objectives

• We will ensure the council remains comprised of patients, family members, hospital staff and community leaders from across the state.
• We will serve to inform broader health care initiatives and policy from a patient and family perspective.
• We will aim to promote a statewide culture of health, integrating the patient and family perspective.
• We will provide a consumer voice that is critical to achieving the Triple Aim of better health, better care and lower costs.
• We will provide resources, support and expertise to meet these objectives.

Council Action Items

The council’s goal is to complete the following actions in the first three years of formation.

• Action 1: Identify metrics to evaluate statewide progress and to base supportive programming, resources and tools that raise awareness of the patient and family perspective.
• Action 2: Inform, at a state level, common themes and issues that detract from the health care experience; provide insight and feedback for interventions.
• Action 3: Collaborate with MHA on development of strategies and resources and support dissemination of these across the state
• Action 4: Serve as mentors and liaisons to members developing internal PFACs
• Action 5: Assist in understanding and deployment of health literacy and disparity reduction initiatives

Membership

To join the MHA PFAC, fill out the membership application. If you have questions, contact Jessica Stultz at jstultz@mhanet.com.

Compass Honor

Sponsored by the Statewide Patient and Family Advisory Council, MHA introduced an annual recognition, the Compass Honor, which recognizes a Missouri hospital for outstanding efforts in effectively partnering with their PFAC. Through public recognition, this honor will encourage and inspire hospitals to adopt practices, learn collectively and improve their PFACs.

The “compass” in Compass Honor signifies that with each direction we turn, we find partners in care.

• North symbolizes patients as our true north.
• South symbolizes caregivers and family.
• East symbolizes health care providers.
• West symbolizes support staff.