Heart Institute Patient and Family Advisory Council
The Heart Institute Patient and Family Advisory Council (HI PFAC) is a diverse group of patients and family members who collaborate with Heart Institute clinicians, staff, and leadership to enhance medical care and quality of life for those living with congenital heart disease. Founded in 2009, the HI PFAC strives to improve patient experience, safety, and health outcomes to make improvements in compassionate care and build meaningful relationships between patients, caregivers, and providers.
HI PFAC Members Change the Outcomes By...
- Advocating & Sharing: Members provide feedback and insights at PFAC meetings or through survey outreach
- Driving & Leading: Members help identify opportunities and drive new initiatives that impact the care experience of HI patients and families
- Partnering to Improve: Members work with other HI patients, families, and clinicians on improvement projects to directly impact quality of care
Involvement Opportunities
The HI PFAC offers different levels of involvement to help foster a dynamic advisory group with flexible commitment levels.
- HI PFAC Members are invited to attend monthly meetings that are specifically targeted at sharing feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.
- HI PFAC Subgroup Members make a commitment to participate in projects that are centered around a particular focus area. This commitment involves attending monthly PFAC meetings and may include collaboration opportunities outside of our regularly scheduled meeting times, depending on the needs of the project.
- Subgroups include: Inpatient, Outpatient, Adult Congenital, Prenatal, Bereavement, and Communication & Recruitment
- HI PFAC Survey Outreach is an opportunity for patients and families to provide feedback on projects, events, etc. via occasional survey outreach
The HI PFAC welcomes parents or caregivers of children and adolescents with congenital heart disease who have been treated at the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children's. Additionally, adults who are current or former patients are encouraged to participate. If you are interested in joining the HI PFAC or participating in a subgroup, please contact HI.PFAC@cchmc.org.
The HI PFAC is open to patients, parents, and caregivers who are:
- Passionate about wanting to help improve processes, safety and quality of care in the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children's
- Eager to offer feedback and input to support the continued growth and evolution of compassionate care in the Heart Institute
- Collaborative on solutions and have a passion for improving the health care experience for all
- Advocates for change, while keeping the diverse needs of our patients and their families in mind
- Respectful of differing opinions and encourage multiple points of view
- Eager to productively offer feedback and openly share insights and personal experiences in a group setting
Meeting Structure
The HI PFAC meets virtually once a month and hosts a hybrid meeting once a quarter. In-person attendance to quarterly hybrid meetings is optional and a virtual option will also be available.
- 1st hour (6-7pm): HI PFAC members will meet as a large group to share feedback and insights that drive future improvement projects and provide updates on subgroup projects and initiatives currently underway.
- 2nd hour (7-8pm): Subgroups will meet to discuss improvement opportunities, select projects, and execute targeted initiatives as a group.
Monthly meetings are open for anyone to attend and to provide an introduction the HI PFAC and subgroups. To join us at an upcoming HI PFAC Meeting, please contact us at HI.PFAC@cchmc.org.
