Insights From the Family Advisory Council
It's the start of a new year for the Family Advisory Council. The first order of business is for the new and continuing members to introduce themselves.
The 22 families represented on the council have all had extensive experience with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. As they introduce themselves and their families, they speak about children with:
They know what it feels like to bring a child to the hospital, to hear a scary diagnosis, to wait anxiously while a child is in the operating room, to live day-to-day with chronic illness. As members of the Family Advisory Council, they will use the knowledge gained from their personal experiences — good and bad — to help improve hospital care for other families.
Projects of the Family Advisory Council
Members of the Family Advisory Council have become teachers, helping pediatric residents at Cincinnati Children's understand family-centered care. Five members of the council helped produce an educational video titled Voices of Experience. On it they speak powerfully about the importance of respect, collaboration and communication.
"I'm my son's history book," Kareem Moncree-Moffett says on the video. Her message to residents is that the parent's knowledge must be respected, and parents must be part of the decision-making process. "I feel that what the medical team offers is suggestions. They may offer strong suggestions, but the ultimate decision is mine. Because as a parent, you have to live with your child the rest of his life. Your child ultimately is your responsibility."
Edna Morales tells residents, "I feel we're partners on this journey. As a parent, you feel respected when your opinions are important to the professional team." Having moved from Puerto Rico to bring her son to Cincinnati Children's for care, Edna speaks for families who face the difficulties of language barriers and cultural differences. "The experience of care is all the tiny details, the things that you never forget," she points out. She advises residents to remember that patients are human beings who need more than just medical care.
Family-Friendly Billing
In face-to-face interviews in outpatient clinics and in telephone surveys, the Billing Department heard that families were unhappy with the billing statements they received from the hospital. The department turned to the Family Advisory Council for help. The council formed a Billing Task Force, which worked with staff to design a billing statement that is easier to read and understand.
Joy and Scott Bennett, whose 6-year-old daughter has a very complex medical history, were happy to serve on this committee. "The bills we got from the hospital were pretty much incomprehensible to me," Joy says. "I could see the amount and the date, but the statement was filled with abbreviations and codes I didn't understand, so it was hard to tell what the bills were for."
Task force members spent months helping refine the wording and layout of the billing statements. Cincinnati Children's identified a vendor that is a leader in patient-centered billing and offers flexibility in the design of billing statements. Billing Department staff, parents on the Billing Task Force and the vendor worked together to customize the vendor's existing templates.
"The new statement looks nothing like it used to," Joy says. "It's fabulous! Now I know exactly where to look and what I'm looking at. I feel so much more competent when I have to call the insurance company."
Surgical Waiting Room
Waiting while your child is having surgery is a stressful time for any parent. And the nondescript surgical waiting area, with its rows of chairs and drab carpeting, didn't do much to raise the spirits of an anxious mom or dad. So the medical center turned to the Family Advisory Council for help redesigning the space.
"We were told to dream big and make it the best it could be for families," says Amy Clawson, who with other parents helped transform the surgical waiting room into an inviting, comfortable space.
Knowing that everyone handles the stress of waiting in a different way, the team designed the space to accommodate a variety of preferences. For those who want to watch television, there are four widescreen TVs showing family-friendly programming.
Instead of long rows of chairs, furniture is arranged in clusters where family members can chat or read. There are comfortable consultation rooms that offer a place for quiet and privacy.
For parents who want to keep up with work or stay in touch with family and friends, there are computer stations with hookups for laptops. There's a room where parents can have a cup of coffee or a snack. And there's a large, cheerful play area that's a magnet for children who are waiting.
