Build a High-Impact Patient & Family Advisory Council

Rural hospitals face unique challenges in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care while navigating limited re sources, workforce constraints, and increasing regulatory expectations. Yet one of the most effective and underutilized strategies for improving care delivery, patient safety, and the patient experience is a strong Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC).

In this webinar, Barbara Lewis, PhD, MBA, President of the non-profit Healthcare PX and a nationally recognized expert on hospital PFACs, will provide an evidence-based roadmap for both launching a new PFAC and strengthening an ex isting one. Drawing on 10 years of PFAC research culminating with her national mixed-methods research and real-world examples from hospitals across the U.S., Barbara will share practical strategies for building support, recruiting and onboarding effective advisors, establishing strong governance structures, increasing engagement, and measuring mean ingful outcomes.

Designed specifically for rural healthcare leaders, this session will explore how PFACs can become powerful strategic assets that improve care quality and safety, save hospitals money, and enhance the patient experience, including boosting HCAHPS scores.

Participants will learn how to:

• Build the executive case for a PFAC in a rural hospital setting

• Launch a council with a strong structure and clear purpose

• Recruit and engage diverse patient and family advisors

• Strengthen existing PFAC participation and effectiveness

• Expand PFAC influence across hospital initiatives

• Measure and communicate PFAC impact

• Sustain long-term leadership support and momentum

Participants will leave with practical, actionable strategies to either start a PFAC or elevate an existing council into a high-performing driver of patient-centered improvement. 

Instructor: Barbara Lewis, Healthcare PX

Continuing Education:  Clock Hours:  1.0       

This workshop is designed to meet the continuing education requirements for the MN Board of Nursing. It is the responsibility of the attendee to determine whether these activities meet the current criteria for continuing education.

All registrants will receive course information, connection details (from zoom), & any materials prior to the session. All registrants will receive the webinar recording following the event.

Registration Fees:

Medi-Sota Members: FREE

Non-Medi-Sota Members: $50/person