IPRO Wins Patient Empowerment Grant

LAKE SUCCESS, New York, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- IPRO has been awarded a grant through the New York State Health Foundation's (NYSHealth's) Patients as Partners initiative to strengthen the voices of patients and families in healthcare decision-making. Through this initiative, NYSHealth is supporting projects that seek system improvements, practice innovations, or policy reforms designed to benefit and empower patients and consumers.

In partnership with X4 Health, IPRO will offer a revitalized, next-generation approach to Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs), which are created by providers in order to assure  consumer input into care delivery. PFACs often flounder due to the expense, travel requirements and logistics surrounding face-to-face meetings with patients and family members. IPRO and X4 Health will test an approach that involves virtual as well as in-person patient meetings, while offering much-needed technical support to participating medical practices.   

"We're delighted to have the opportunity to test innovative approaches to patient engagement," according to Clare Bradley, MD, MPH, IPRO's Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. "Along with our partners at X4 Health, we're committed to an approach that removes obstacles that get in the way of empowering patients to participate in their own critical decision-making."

"We're pleased that IPRO and its partners at X4 Health are inventing and testing a new real-time approach to engaging a wider and broader array of patient input in how the practice of medicine can meet patients' needs and draw from patients' ideas for healthcare practice," said David Sandman, Ph.D., President and CEO of NYSHealth.

X4 Health's co-founder, Christine Bechtel, explained the idea by saying, "Well-intentioned medical practices often struggle to organize and sustain patient advisory councils in really rewarding ways. We want the effort to be incredibly productive and yet easy for both staff and patient advisors. That's why we developed the idea with IPRO to build and test a Next Generation PFAC. If we make the right thing to do the easy thing to do, it's a huge win-win for both patients and healthcare providers," she said.

IPRO is a national, not-for-profit healthcare organization that works with government agencies, providers and consumers to implement innovative programs that bring policy ideas to life.  IPRO does this by making creative use of clinical expertise, emerging technology, data solutions, and diverse marketplace experience to make the healthcare system work better.  Incorporated in 1983, IPRO is one of the nation's largest and most experienced healthcare quality improvement organizations. Visit IPRO at www.ipro.org. 

X4 Health is a purpose-driven organization dedicated to advancing healthcare's Quadruple Aim: better health, better care, lower costs and better experiences for both patients and professionals. Founded by consumer advocates, X4 Health develops strategies to unlock innovation in healthcare with a special emphasis on engaging people and families in co-designing health transformation. Visit X4 Health at www.x4health.com.

SOURCE IPRO