The Community Quality Collaborative Leader’s Guide to Engaging Consumer Advocates

Prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Contract No: HHSA290200710022T

Prepared by the Center for Health Improvement
The National Partnership for Women & Families
November 2008

Contents

Introduction

The First Question: Why Consumer Advocates?

Next Question: How to Involve Consumer Advocates?

Overview of the Guide

Section 1: Understanding Consumer Advocates

Defining Advocates

What Advocates Care About

Typical Constraints That Advocates Face

Section 2: Getting the Lay of the Land

Identifying Likely Collaborators

Examples of Consumer Advocacy Organizations to Contact

Doing Your Homework: Potential Partners

Doing Your Homework: Key Issues

Section 3: Recruiting Advocates

What You May Want to Find Out

Suggested Messaging: Engaging and Educating

Advice About Communicating With Advocates

Important Considerations

Section 4: Educating Advocates

Why Quality Should Concern Consumer Advocates

What Others Are Doing

Tips for Community Quality Collaborative Leaders Regarding the Education of Advocates

Section 5: Activating Advocates

Supporting Activated Advocates

Moving Forward

Section 6: Resources

Resources for Community Quality Collaborative Leaders

Suggested Reading

National Health Care Quality Entities

 

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank the following people for reviewing this report: Roxanne Andrews, PhD, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Cindy Brach, MPP, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Jeff Brady, MD, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Katherine Crosson, MPH, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Jan De La Mare, MPAff, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Joyce Dubow, AARP Public Policy Institute; Rosa Fraga, MA, Principal, Holy Name of Jesus School, Michigan – Alliance for Health; Lissette Leijnieks, MBA, Inherent Systems & Consulting; Lise Rybowski, The Severyn Group; Karen Shore, PhD, Center for Health Improvement; Peggy McNamara, MSPH, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Karen Migdail, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Betsy Mulvey, Project Coordinator, New York Quality Alliance; and Nancy Brands Ward, Center for Health Improvement.

AHRQ appreciates citation as to source. Suggested format follows: Sweeney, J. The Community Quality Collaborative Leader’s Guide to Engaging Consumers. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, November 2008.

We consider our Learning Network tools to be works in progress and always welcome your comments. Please forward suggestions to AHRQ’s Peggy McNamara at peggy.mcnamara@ahrq.hhs.gov.

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Internet Citation:

The Community Quality Collaborative Leader’s Guide to Engaging Consumer Advocates. Revised January 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/value/caguide.htm

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