Participation in QAPI Meetings

Patient and family engagement has been increasingly recognized as an integral component of health care and a critical element of patient centered services. Developing a sound process for incorporating the patients and families’ voice helps establish the foundation for an open and transparent health care system. It is our ongoing effort here at Quality Insights Renal Network 3 to support dialysis providers with these efforts. As a result we’ve developed the “Empowering Partners for Improved Care” program. 

Empowering Partners for Improved Care – Full Program (English / Español)

Step 1 

All members of the facility’s interdisciplinary team must watch the following “Empowering Partners for Improved Care” Program Kick Off video. Following on the next page after watching the video you will be asked to attest to having watched it.
 

Empowering Partners for Improved Care Program Video & Attestation

Step 2

Use the following documents to establish a process for ongoing Recruitment/Participation of Patient and Family Member Representatives in your facility’s QAPI meetings. Please note, you do not have to submit any of these documents to the Network. 

• Interdisciplinary Team Acknowledgment & Commitment of Support (English / Español)
• Patient/Family Member Facility Recruitment Letter (English / Español)
• Patient & Family Representative Participation/Membership Policy (English / Español)
• Patient & Family Member Representative Registration Form (English / Español)

Step 3

Invite and engage patients/family representatives in your facility’s monthly QAPI meetings! 

Step 4

Use the “Patient and Family QAPI Meeting Participation: Action Items” (English / Español) form to help your team manually capture action items/outcomes from Patient/Family Facility Representative participation in your facility’s QAPI meetings. Please note that using this form is optional. If completing this form, please do not fax to the Network, see next step. 

Step 5 - Required Monthly

Document Patient/Family Facility Representative participation in QAPI meetings utilizing the following Network Online Report. Please note that reporting is required for every month a facility engages patients in a given QAPI meeting. If a facility did not have a patient and/or family member participate in the facility’s QAPI meeting three consecutive months please complete this form as well to identify barriers and action plans to overcome barriers. 
 

Facility Monthly QAPI Meeting Reporting	"How To" Video Instructions: Reporting Patients' QAPI Meeting Engagement

FACILITY MONTHLY QAPI MEETING REPORT 

Make sure to print the online report before clicking submit to include a legible copy in your monthly QAPI meeting minutes. This may be used as proof of patient and family engagement to surveying agency, Network and others.

Supportive Resources

• 5 Strategies for Streamlining Patient Engagement in Health Care 
• Because Your Voice Matters!
• Help Patients Understand Their Role in Quality Assessment & Performance Improvement (QAPI)
• Quality Assurance Performance Improvement: Engaging Patients in a Virtual Environment for QAPI
• World Health Organization: Patient Engagement: Technical Series on Safer Primary Care

EPIC Podcast

We have officially launched our Empowering Partners for Improved Care (EPIC) podcast! Each month you will hear informative interviews about patient, family and staff engagement initiatives, including barriers and proven practices that may impact your own interventions.
 

	Episode 1 (Aug. 2022) – Facility staff shares first patient engagement experience in their monthly QAPI meeting.
	Episode 2 (Oct. 2022) - Two patient Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) share their experience as active participants in their facility’s monthly QAPI meetings.
	Episode 3 (Dec. 2022) – Facility staff shares implementation of the My Dialysis Plan as part of their patients’ plans of care.