Patient & Family Advisory Council at Henry County Medical Center
Partnerships with patients and families are the foundation of excellence in Patient and Family Centered Care, and at Henry County Medical Center our patients are valued members of the medical care team.
Henry County Medical Center’s PFAC is made up of members from our primary service area of Henry, Benton, Carroll, Stewart, and Weakley counties. The council began in 2018 with first year accomplishments including:
Education
- Education on the importance and benefits of Rounding
- Education on how HCMC connects to the community
- Discharge process education
- “Let’s Triage” game
- Hospital Compare presentation
- Tour of OR (da Vinci and Mako robots) and special care nursery
Projects
- Design and implementation of Discharge Folders
- Apology letter for patient/family complaints
- Emergency room waiting area redesign project
- Phone Charger drive
- Facilitated quarterly meetings with council members and Hospitalists
- Patient/Family privacy in surgical waiting area
- Directional signage
We are always looking for members, but we are currently accepting applications through August 31, 2020. Applications are available for download here: Patient and Family Advisory Council Membership Application 2018. To learn more about the council, watch Carly Wheat discuss her experience below:
The Mission
The mission of the Patient and Family Advisory Council is to be the voice for patients and their family members, advocating for communication and collaboration between patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to promote an exceptional patient experience and healthcare outcomes.
The Vision
Our vision is that patients at Henry County Medical Center will have a successful, compassionate, and supportive health care experience. To achieve this, collaborative involvement of patients and families is essential and welcomed by HCMC’s leadership and members of its staff in order for us to transform our community’s health through nationally recognized, accessible and sustainable healthcare.
Purpose
- To advise staff and serve as a resource
- To promote improved relationships
- To provide communication and input into policy and program development
- To channel information, needs, and concerns
- To provide opportunities for staff to listen to their customers
Roles/Responsibilities
- Help establish patient- and family-centered care priorities.
- Help identify and implement strategies to support patients and families, improve their experiences with care, and strengthen communication and collaboration between health care providers and patients and families.
- Attend meetings regularly and read materials and agendas prior to meetings.
- Maintain confidentiality of any sensitive information shared during meetings.
- Speak up and share health care/caregiving experiences and perspectives with the practice in constructive ways.
- Balance individual perspectives with the larger goal of improving care for all patients by recognizing that the experiences of one may not be same as the experiences of many.
- Assist in planning, implementation, and evaluation of quality improvement projects.
- Contribute to staff and clinician understanding of patient- and family-centered care principles.
Functions of the Council
- Reviews patient satisfaction scores
- Provides feedback about hospital projects or initiatives from a consumer point of view
- Is apprised about new programming that will benefit patient care
- Participates in rounding
- Reviews and updates patient education materials
- Provides feedback and input on marketing and communications initiatives
To learn more about the Patient and Family Advisory Council, contact Tory Daughrity, Director of Marketing & Public Relations at tdaughrity@hcmc-tn.or or by calling 731-644-8266.
