Ohio Health Quality Improvement Plan

In f o r m e d a n d ActivatedPa t ie n t s a n d In d iv id u a l sprescribers to counteract the effect of aggressive marketing of branded drugs by the pharmaceutical industry. StateBest Practices with accompanying Toolkits are available through Prescription Policy Choices —http://www.policychoices.org.• Promote the implementation of health literacy initiatives and tools such as those available through the Health LiteracyStudies Web Site: www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy and the Health Literacy Tool Kit developed by the Council ofState Governments. 17End-Of-Life Decisions• Develop and implement a social marketing campaign promoting the execution of advance directives so that patients’desires are respected and costs are not unnecessarily incurred.• Support initiatives crafted to improve the delivery of effective communication from health care professionals aboutpatient’s options for treatment; realistic information about patient’s prognosis; timely, clear, and honest answers topatient’s questions; advance directives; and a commitment not to abandon patients regardless of their choices over thecourse of their illness.Action Steps◦◦ Promote development of necessary communication skills by health care professionals, which will elicit values andadvance directives.◦◦ Promote uniform messages by health care professionals concerning end-of-life decision-making and theircommitment to not abandon the patient regardless of choices over the course of the illness.◦◦ Promote health care professionals’ communication about treatment options; realistic prognosis; and advancedirectives with patients with life-limiting illnesses.Cultural TransformationEngaging patients in treatment and self-care requires a transformational change in culture from the paternalism which stillcharacterizes most transactions between patients and providers, to a ‘partnership’ approach in which patients are supportedto engage in shared decision-making.Action Steps◦◦ Identify proven and promising methods to activate individuals and patients to take a proactive role in improvingtheir health and in assuring they receive evidence-based quality care from the health system.◦◦ Promote advances at the local, regional and national levels, which contribute to the formation of a supportiveinfrastructure for culturally competent patient-centered care.◦◦ Work with the PCMH Task Force to ensure practice transformation strategies related to medical homes incorporatebest practices in patient activation.Proposed Milestones/MetricsWithin 6 months:• HCCQC will establish and appoint individuals to a Patient & Public Involvement “PPI” Task Force.Within one year:• A baseline measure for the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale will be determined.• Promotion of webCHAT has taken place in at least one-third of all counties.• Advanced directives executed increased over prior 12-month period.• A framework for an Ohio Health Insurance Connector is circulated for public comment.17 http://www.csg.org/pubs/Documents/ToolKit03HealthLiteracy.pdf20