Patient and Family Experience Team Collaborates to Improve Care

Patient Experience team 2024

By Heather Duge

If the Patient and Family Experience Team could be described in two words, it would be embracing togetherness. Megan Chavez, Vice President of Cook Children’s Experience, oversees strategy and integration points and said the patient experience is part of a larger ecosystem.

“As we grow, we strive to create one experience so no matter where you go it feels like Cook Children’s,” Megan said. “Teamwork is fundamental to who we are and taps into the expertise of all of us.”

“When we say “patient experience,” it’s about the relationship with the patients and families – do they trust us to provide care for them? It is critical to good outcomes,” Megan said.

Vicki Kelley, Director of Family Engagement, takes a different approach to the front desk – it’s the first touch in the relationship with families. 

“Our staff realize that this first connection can help families begin to recognize this is a place they can trust,” Vicki said. 

The staff who work at the information desks take their job seriously to provide a safe, warm and welcoming environment. In addition, her department oversees 16 Family Advisory Councils. The councils partner with the team and share their perspectives with staff in multiple ways to help make patients’ and families’ experiences better. Vicki and her team also plan parent programming such as movie and date nights for the families. The Parents as Partners Program offers opportunities for families who are newly admitted, feeling overwhelmed or with a new diagnosis to be mentored by those who have walked in their shoes.

“Families know that we embrace who they are; they also want to be part of the team to help their child heal,” Vicki said. “They tell us that when someone shows empathy, they stand out. These are important magical moments that stay in the memories of patients and families. Our department is all about positive connections to engage families in their Cook Children’s experience.”

Empathy, connection and communication is the focus for Amit Singh, M.D., Pediatric Hospitalist and Physician Director of Experience on the Patient and Family Experience Team.

“It should be all-encompassing – from the moment our patients walk in the doors to the moment they leave,” Dr. Singh said. 

Dr. Singh helps lend a physician’s voice from the clinical perspective. His diligence in listening to colleagues has led him to meet individually with each of the medical directors to ask questions related to patient care. He hopes to help create a culture change with everyone being mindful of how each interaction impacts patients and families in significant ways.

“I’ve been amazed by how dedicated everyone is at Cook Children’s,” Dr. Singh said. 

Michele Mitchell, Director of Patient Relations, meets with families to address any issues and learn from them. She works with clinical care teams to break down the best way to support families. 

“Our goal is to always keep family-centered protocols in an emotionally safe environment,” Megan said. “We know people can’t pour from an empty cup, so we constantly look to provide staff with what they need to fulfill that. We work in lockstep and protect what makes Cook Children’s so amazing.”

Jill Koss, Director of Family Support Services, has a team that provides programming to support the psychosocial needs and emotional safety of patients and families. Child life specialists and activity coordinators are a big part of her team as well as staff supporting adult and teen volunteers. Jill also oversees summer camps such as Camp Sanguinity for patients with cancer or blood disorder diagnoses. These camps serve as a haven for patients who otherwise would not be able to participate in traditional camps. 

“We know that patients who are old enough want to be included in the decisions being made about their care, and one of the ways we do that is through the Comfort Menu,” Jill said. “The menu gives kids choices and control during a time when they may feel like a lot is out of their control. They can choose a comfort position, to listen to music, to look at a book, how they want to take their medications and more.”

Fear impacts health in significant ways, so patients are also offered a facility dog visit, creative art and music therapy, clown visits and activities in the child life zone. These are just some of the programs provided that support the emotional safety of the patients. 

Missy Staben, Director of Experience Elevation, brainstorms ways to improve through training, processes and technology. Her team manages more than 170 Patient Experience Champions (PECs)– five groups of frontline staff who meet monthly to work on patient experience projects. The team also supports patient survey management and the system Care Share goal.

Stefanie PerryCharles, Site Administrator at Walsh Ranch and co-chair on the UCC Patient Experience Champions, said the parent involvement is what makes Cook Children’s special. 

“We have a parent advocate in every meeting who brings her child to the hospital often and sees many specialties,” Stefanie said. “She advocates and helps us with issues on the outside that we don’t always see and encourages us as we set the standard for improving.”

Transparency is key in all the team does.

Tracie Lawson, a Practice Administrator who has been at Cook Children’s for more than 20 years and a co-chair for the PCP Patient Experience Champions, has a passion for helping the patients’ parents.

“When I get the parents on the phone or talk to them face-to-face, I just want to fix it,” Tracie said. “They can be frazzled, tired and worried and I want to be that person who says we’re here for you.”

Tracie does this by breaking down barriers. She looks at any problem through the eyes of the patient and family and asks how it could be affecting them. 

Tracie and her team are a resource for primary care offices and give staff members a voice to talk through issues.

Sheena Brewer, Practice Manager at the Willow Park clinic, serves as co-chair for the Primary Care Patient Experience Champions group. Sheena and her Patient Experience Champions committee team developed the ambulatory care patient experience bundle which CCPN follows. 

“We are connected as one, and the families feel that,” Sheena said. “The focus on our team is togetherness and taking care of each other at the clinics to give exceptional care to patients and families. We do this by sharing ideas throughout the system and being open and honest in issues we need to fix.”

Sheena said primary care is so important as oftentimes the patients and families come to them first before going to the medical center or refer to a specialty. 

“Building trust with the families is huge so they know we are putting their child first,” Sheena said. “We talk a lot about looking for moments of magic to help patients feel more comfortable. The expectation from as soon as we hire someone is that we treat everyone like family, and we collaborate with the parents, so they feel confident in their care.”

Jill agrees that everyone should be treated like family, and she said it all comes down to kindness. “Kindness to everyone is so important – no matter where a staff member is working or engaging with patients and families.”