Grantee Name
Island Peer Review Organization, Inc.
Funding Area
Empowering Health Care Consumers
Publication Date
September 2021
Grant Amount
$230,708
Grant Date:
November 2018- May 2021
Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) can improve health care delivery and optimize the patient experience.
In partnership with hospitals and health care organizations, patients, family members, and staff provide input on and are involved in hospital-related decisions (e.g., governance, policies, staffing, communications, and facilities) and quality and patient safety initiatives. These partnerships—which prioritize the health care consumer—have led to significant and lasting changes in the health care system.
However, traditional PFAC models can overlook certain patient populations and present barriers to regular, in-person participation, such as time availability and transportation, that limit input from a wider array of patients and families. An NYHealth-funded report, “Strategically Advancing Patient and Family Advisory Councils in New York State Hospitals,” assessed PFACs’ performances and impact in New York State and gave recommendations for best practices, which included establishing virtual learning communities to overcome those hurdles. Building on this report and with an NYHealth grant, Island Peer Review Organization (IPRO) partnered with X4 Health to develop and test a new model, the Next Generation PFAC (N-PFAC), that would employ a technology platform to broaden patient voices by convening a larger, more diverse patient group virtually.