Our team is working on a grant project funded by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation. 

The goal of this project is to quantify patient and family member expectations and perspectives 

of care received in hospitals and ICUs. This includes measuring preferences for and experiences 

of interacting with clinicians around issues including:  preventable harm; being treated with

dignity and respect; and the need for other improvements in the delivery of care. Analysis of 

these data will be by key respondent factors such as: regional variation, demographic variables, health status, and previous experience with the health-care system.

 

We will be conducting focus groups in Baltimore, Indianapolis, Phoenix, and San Francisco. 

The results from these groups will be used to create a national survey of patients and family members.  

 

Results from this research will foster a better understanding of consumers' interests in and 

ability to actively participate in:

• communicating with physicians including decision making by asking informed questions,
• fully appreciating patient safety risks,
• self-care activities while in the hospital,
• understanding preventable harms and their mitigation,
• articulating the need for changes in the health-care system that improve quality, 
• safety, and cost, while
• voicing their expectations of courteous, respectful, and dignified treatment. 

The findings will be published in an article in Consumer Reports in September 2014.

 

 

We are pleased this month to highlight the exciting and innovative work that the 

Anne Arundel Medical Center, Maryland's third busiest hospital, is doing to promote 

the Choosing Wisely campaign. It has recently launched an integrated campaign 

to encourage dialogue around Choosing Wisely. Promotional efforts have included 

articles in its community magazine, editorials in local newspapers, and digital displays 

Several physician practices now have posters in each exam room with the five key points. 

The electronic medical record allows physicians and staff to click on a Choosing Wisely 

topic and print the article on demand. 

The physician champion of the initiative, Barry Meisenberg, MD, has addressed both 

by AAMC in March called "Better Together."
 

As we begin planning for 2014, we are open to new opportunities to distribute our 

information, through new networks or events.  If you or your colleagues are interested 

in working with us, to either distribute our materials, work with us to develop dissemination 

options through your network or speak at an upcoming engagement, please contact 

Dom Lorusso, Health Impact Partnerships at dlorusso@consumer.org.

As you know, Consumer Reports is the only major independent consumer organization 

working for transparency in medical costs, effectiveness, and safety. And because we're 

free of any commercial influence, we always call it like we see it - never pulling any punches.

Last year, our work on health care helped consumers identify and choose high-quality, 

appropriate, cost-effective preventative care, screening/testing, medicines, treatments, 

hospitals, and health insurance. We create hundreds of patient-friendly resources 

addressing medical costs, effectiveness, and safety. But there is much more work to 

be done and we can't do it without your help.

Knowing that you're a fan of Consumer Reports Health, we'd like to invite you to make 

a charitable contribution. Your contribution will help us remain a leading voice in championing consumers' access to sustainable, safe, high-quality, and affordable health care and physical, mental, and community well being. We hope you'll find it's a cause worthy of your support.

Please consider a contribution to Consumer Reports' health-care initiative. 

You can easily donate online today or email us at healthimpact@cr.consumer.org if 

you have questions.