PFEN Members
PFEN members come from a diverse variety of backgrounds, all joined by the mission of improving healthcare for patients and families. Whether you are an individual, family or a member of a group or association representing the interests of persons and their families, there are many ways in which you can get involved throughout the lifecycle of quality measure development.
It is a goal of CMS to strengthen person and family engagement by involving those who stand to benefit from quality measurement in healthcare and health outcomes. Enhancing existing activities and promoting broader engagement are critical to an ongoing and successful partnership among organizations developing measures. PFEN members are important to CMS’ goals of better engagement by providing their experience as vital data to improve quality of care.
The People Who Make PFEN
PFEN consists primarily of persons, family caregivers, advocates and medical professionals who have volunteered their time and expertise to help CMS and measure developers. These perspectives provide unique insights into the development and implementation of quality measures that ensure the measures are relevant to the individuals that are impacted the most by them.
Medical Professionals & Advocates
Medical professionals, such as doctors and advocates, work alongside persons and families to secure care and support their agency in navigating the healthcare system.
Persons
A “person” is defined by PFEN as an individual that understands their own agency in their overall health and decides the course of their care.
Families
Family caregivers are not medical professionals but may provide in-home care for a relative and often act as a legal representative on healthcare decisions.
What PFEN Members Do
During their term, PFEN members serve on technical expert panels, work groups and complete surveys and interviews with measure developers for various projects on a variety of topics. Members are matched by PFEN to projects and tasks that reflect their personal interests or they can apply directly to projects advertised on the PFEN website or facebook group. When not serving on a project or task, PFEN members continue their education by attending webinars, subscribing to the PFEN newsletter and connecting with each other on the PFEN Facebook group. There is always something to do!
Technical Expert Panel
A group of persons, families, caregivers, advocates and experts who contribute direction and thoughtful input to the measure developer in every phase of the measure development process from conceptualization through maintenance.
Work Group
A work group or focus group is a small diverse group of people whose reactions are studied in guided discussions about a new or current measure that can be expected from a larger population. Work groups can meet once or multiple times depending on the needs of the project.
Surveys/Interviews
Occasionally, measure developers want to engage PFEN members on an individual level or reach a larger audience. Interviews and surveys are conducted to provide a thorough picture of an experience or situation. Surveys show trends while interviews add personal experience to the data that is then integrated into measure development.
Continued Education
During and in-between projects, PFEN members continue their education in quality measures by participating in webinars and other online events. Members can connect with one another on the PFEN Facebook group and stay updated on the latest in quality measures by subscribing to the PFEN newsletter.
Interested in Joining the Person and Family Engagement Network?
Thank you for your interest in the CMS PFE Member Network! We are looking for individuals of all backgrounds, interests, and experiences to give their input into quality measure development. Please fill out this form and one of our team members will contact you.
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