The Aligning Forces For Quality Experience: Lessons On Getting Consumers Involved In Health Care Improvements

Abstract

Aligning Forces for Quality is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's signature effort to improve the overall quality of health care in targeted communities, reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care, and provide models for national reform. Activities in each of the sixteen Aligning Forces for Quality alliance communities are guided by a multistakeholder alliance of consumers, providers, and payers. To achieve goals established at the national and local levels, the alliances integrate local consumers into governance and decision making, program design and implementation, and information dissemination efforts. This article describes how the Aligning Forces for Quality investments have evolved since the initiative's launch in 2006 and offers some early lessons learned. Individual alliances have engaged consumers in numerous capacities, from serving on dedicated consumer advisory boards to representing the consumer's perspective in the design of public reports of providers' quality. The alliances' ongoing and mindful inclusion of consumers provides insights into eliciting and applying their perspectives in the pursuit of improved health care quality, value, and transparency.

Elements of Accountable Communities for Health: A Review of the Literature

“…Interventions grounded in consumer engagement suggest that it is important, albeit sometimes challenging, to engage consumers and consumer advocates in decision-making capacities. Some notable challenges include ensuring that consumers have an equal voice, providing consumers with the tools to understand conversations within the governance board that contain technical language, and preventing consumer burnout from high expectations of participation [12]. In the Aligning Forces for Quality initiative, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, communities made provider quality information available to consumers, while also implementing interventions to help providers improve their quality of care and help them engage consumers in ways that help consumers make informed health care decisions [12].…”

“…Some notable challenges include ensuring that consumers have an equal voice, providing consumers with the tools to understand conversations within the governance board that contain technical language, and preventing consumer burnout from high expectations of participation [12]. In the Aligning Forces for Quality initiative, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, communities made provider quality information available to consumers, while also implementing interventions to help providers improve their quality of care and help them engage consumers in ways that help consumers make informed health care decisions [12]. The literature suggests that it is not enough to make health information and data available to consumers; the information must also be easily understood by consumers [12].…”

“…In the Aligning Forces for Quality initiative, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, communities made provider quality information available to consumers, while also implementing interventions to help providers improve their quality of care and help them engage consumers in ways that help consumers make informed health care decisions [12]. The literature suggests that it is not enough to make health information and data available to consumers; the information must also be easily understood by consumers [12].…”

Measuring Consumer Engagement in the Brain to Online Interactive Shopping Environments

“…The origins of CE stems was discovered three decades ago in Norway (Gronroos 2010, Gummesson 1994. Since then, recent developments of CE were rooted in "service-dominant (S-D) logic" which views CE in the light of relationship marketing (RM) to create, sustain and enhance close relationships with their consumers (Mende et al, 2013, Vargo & Lusch 2004, Vargo & Lusch 2008. The actual term of "consumer/customer engagement" only transpired in the academic marketing in the last 5 years (Brodie et al, 2011).This section focuses on CE as a multi-dimensional concept.…”

Engaging Consumers in the Quality Measurement Enterprise

“…Sixteen AF4Q communities consisted of alliances of providers, consumers, and payers. These alliances involved consumers in designing performance reports, integrated consumers into quality improvement efforts, and encouraged consumers to use the performance reports (Mende and Roseman, 2013;Ness, 2012). In another example, DHHS in 2008 funded collaboratives of community purchasers, health plans, providers, and consumers-called chartered value exchanges-to advance quality measurement and reporting (DHHS, undated).…”