AAPL Joins With New Policy Coalition That Seeks Greater Voice for Patients, Families

The Patient Experience Policy Forum will focus on shaping patient-centered health care strategies at the national and state levels.

Executive co-chairs Shari Berman and Rick Evans address the inaugural gathering of the Patient Experience Policy Forum at the in Washington. Berman, a two-time cancer survivor and patient advocate, stresses the need to include the patient in the regulatory process. | @PXPolicy

An advocacy coalition representing all levels of the health care industry and those it serves has formed to give patients and their families a greater voice in policymaking.

The Patient Experience Policy Forum, or PXPF, held its inaugural meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in Washington, D.C., to begin laying the foundation for its membership.

“We are something that we feel is very unique: a coalition of voices, hospital leaders, patients and families, medical staff all working together,” said Rick Evans, executive co-chairman for the group and senior vice president for New York-Presbyterian health systems.

The American Association for Physician Leadership was among the organizations taking part in the launch.

The broad-based coalition’s focus will be shaping policy at the national and state levels to improve the patient and family experience. Planned actions include policy forums, educating policymakers, sponsorship of advocacy events, and providing periodic publications, communication updates and calls to action.

“We want to share our body of knowledge. We want to share our lived experience with policymakers so that we can address core issues and succeed together,” Evans said during the gathering at the National Press Club building.

With health care at the forefront of the nation’s political discourse, this is an opportunity to raise issues related to patient experience, coalition executive co-chairwoman Shari Berman said.

VIDEO: Patient Experience Policy Forum formal charter announcement.

“We know that systems and regulations can often constrain our ability to create an environment of caring,” said Berman, a two-time cancer survivor and global co-chairwoman for the Patient and Family Advisory Council at the Beryl Institute, an organization dedicated to improving the patient experience.

“Patients and providers often get lost,” she said. “And what does this mean for patients and families? It often feels like policies work against what patients want and need.”

Berman stressed the need to include the patient in the regulatory process.

“Their voice is critical to looking at every angle,” she said. “I have found what patients often want and need is often different than what organizations and regulators think they want and need.”

Participants began with policy sessions on these topics:

• Advancing patient-provider partnerships.

• Strengthening support for patient and family involvement.

• Reducing disparities in patient care.

• Improving patient-centered measurement and reporting.

• Elevating the value case.

The coalition hosted three policymakers to guide the sessions:

• Rear Adm. Jeff Brady, MD, MPH, director for the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

• Katie Martin, vice president for Health Policy and Programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families.

• Anne Montgomery, senior policy analyst for Altarum Institute and a visiting scholar for the National Academy of Social Insurance.

The forum’s next meeting is scheduled for April 15, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. For information, go to www.pxpolicyforum.org .

For information on how to get involved as a physician leader, email lvalentin@physicianleaders.org.