Update on the JHM Strategic Plan: Patient- and Family-Centered Care

To the Johns Hopkins Medicine community

Dear Colleagues,

We write each month to let you know how we are faring with implementation of the Strategic Plan. We realize that each of you is committed to delivering compassionate and individualized care each and every day. This commitment is detailed in the patient- and family-centered care strategic priority as: "To be the national leader in the safety, science, teaching and provision of patient- and family-centered care."

This means we need to represent the best interests of our patients and their families in our work in order to keep them safe, provide the highest level of care and provide the best service. This goal will be accomplished with the help of each member of Johns Hopkins Medicine and with increased communication, coordination, collaboration, continuity and culture.  

Our work toward becoming a national leader in patient- and family-centered care began well before the implementation of the Strategic Plan. Since its introduction, our efforts have been pushed into higher gear. As we begin the fourth quarter of our fiscal year, we are proud to have accomplished the following:

• Established Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) at all Johns Hopkins Medicine affiliates to ensure that the people we serve are included in our work and business decisions. Council members have been added to select hospital committees and will be incorporated in new committees as they are developed. 
• Coordinated evidence-based strategies known as the care coordination bundle designed to identify and meet the needs of our patients while they are in the hospital and during the critical post-discharge period. This bundle (risk screening, multidisciplinary care planning, patient and family education, medication management, primary provider handoffs, ED management, and transitions of care) has been deployed in multiple units across JHM
• Working with faculty and staff members to develop standard care plans and protocols across JHM to ensure implementation of the best clinical care plans and protocols.

To learn more about patient- and family-centered care, please view the video, "The Difference We Can Make for Our Patients."

The examples above are the tip of the iceberg on how we deliver patient- and family-centered care. We are interested in hearing directly from you, so please share your stories by emailing them to strategicplan@jhmi.edu. 

Paul B. Rothman, M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Ronald R. Peterson
President, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System
EVP, Johns Hopkins Medicine