MAHC-Community-Health-Bulletin-Final

Qu Ce
Se
WANTED!
Patient and family advisors to partner with MAHC
The patient and family perspective has
never been more important or infl u-
ential in health care than it is today.
The patient voice is also nothing new for
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare.
Over the past few years, patients and/or
their family members have been recruited
to assist with various initiatives – from
designing renovations in clinical care
areas to planning for smoke-free grounds,
to bringing the patient/family perspective
to the work of MAHC’s Patient- and Family-
Centered Care Steering Committee.
This fall, we will be building on the philosophy
of centering care around patients
and their families through the formation of
a Patient and Family Advisory Committee.
“It is only when we see health care
through the eyes of patients and their
families that we can truly improve their
experience,” says Karen Fleming, Chief
Quality & Nursing Executive. “The input
they can provide from their own perspective
is so valuable to improving care and
the overall patient experience.”
A Patient and Family Advisory Committee
is an opportunity for patients and family
members to collaborate with us as partners
in planning services and systems to
shape and improve the patient experience.
The committee is a venue for patients and
families to provide input into policy and
program development, while promoting
partnerships and fostering cooperation.
This fall, MAHC will be reaching out to
the community to recruit fi ve advisors associated
with each hospital site.
“We are looking for people who have
had a recent experience either as a patient
or as a family member of a patient who
received care at MAHC,” says Fleming.
So what does it take to be an advisor?
“Advisors should be able to share
insights and information about their
experiences in ways that others can learn
from them,” says Fleming. “They can see
beyond their own personal experiences
and show concern for more than one issue
or agenda. Being a good listener is key and
interacting well with others is essential.
The ability to respect the perspectives of
others and speak candidly and comfortably
in a group will be very important.”
Recruitment of these individuals to represent
the voice of MAHC’s patients and
families is underway. Application forms are
available on our website at www.mahc.ca.
“We are looking for people who have had a
recent experience either as a patient or as
a family member of a patient who received
care at MAHC.”
Quality improvement goals are an annual focus
Providing safe, high-quality care is an
unrelenting focus at Muskoka Algonquin
Healthcare.
A Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) is our
commitment to our community to drive
quality of care by setting safety and quality
targets that we are striving to meet and
exceed. It also ensures that our patients
receive the right care, in the right place, at
the right time.
Not only are staff and physicians actively
engaged in identifying quality improvement
initiatives, but we also engage interested
members of our communities through
focus group conversations to seek their
feedback .
This year’s QIP has been developed to
strengthen MAHC’s focus on the fi ve key
dimensions of quality: access, effectiveness,
integrated, patient centered, and
safety. The QIP has three components:
a narrative, a work plan and a progress
report, all of which are available on our
website.
The 2016-17 QIP identifi es six objectives
for improving quality and safety by:
• Reducing 30-day readmission rate
• Reducing unnecessary time spent in
acute care
• Improving patient satisfaction and engagement
• Improving safety through medication
reconciliation upon admission
• Improving access by reducing wait times
in the Emergency Department
• Improving organizational fi nancial health
Each objective and associated improvement
indicator is supported by several
underlying initiatives to improve quality of
care at MAHC. These initiatives range from
unit-level engagement of staff and huddles
to system-wide strategies such as Health
Links and Home First that have been collaboratively
developed, implemented and
sustained with our community partners.
Our culture at MAHC supports and
encourages high-quality care in each and
every interaction with a patient and their
family. We believe that together we can
build healthy communities in alignment
with regional and provincial priorities.
WHY A QIP?
Through the Excellent Care for All Act,
all public-sector hospitals are required
to complete a QIP every year and submit
it to Health Quality Ontario, a branch
of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term
Care.
MONITORING A QIP?
Our journey and progress is reviewed
regularly by MAHC’s Quality Council as
well as the Quality and Safety Committee
of the Board of Directors.
WHAT’S IN THE QIP?
Learn more at www.mahc.ca/en/
stayingvisiting/Quality_Improvement_
Plan.asp.
8 2016 COMMUNITY HEALTH BULLETIN