Planetree of Derby selected to improve quality of U.S. health care system

Susan Frampton, President, Planetree International 

Sara Guastello, Vice President, Knowledge Management, Planetree  

DERBY - Derby-based Planetree International and Griffin Health will be driving forces in shaping quality care improvements for the national health care system.

Planetree International President Susan Frampton, PhD., was recently appointed to the National Quality Forum Board of Directors which is comprised of the nation’s most influential health care leaders. 

NQF is a national, consensus-based health care organization that the federal government relies on for defining the best, evidence-based approaches to improving care.

Additionally, Sara Guastello, Vice President of Knowledge Management at Planetree, was appointed to an NQF Action Team that will work to engage patients as active partners in improving quality and patient safety within health systems.

Headquartered at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Planetree is an internationally-recognized not-for-profit organization that partners with health care providers around the globe to advance patient-centered approaches to care. 

Griffin Hospital is Gold Certified for Excellence in Person-Centered Care and serves as Planetree’s flagship hospital.

“Planetree is recognized as a leader in representing the voices of patients, and able to contribute an essential perspective to healthcare quality improvement efforts,” Frampton said. “It is an honor to be selected to help create an action plan for measurable health improvements that will benefit every person.”

Planetree International is a not-for-profit organization that aims to humanize health care through person-centered care. 

Planetree’s approach emphasizes the quality of human interactions, the importance of connecting caregivers to the purpose and meaning of their work, and practical strategies for involving patients, family members and communities in care. These elements have been consolidated into the Person-Centered Care Certification Program®. 

This structured pathway for person-centered care implementation is used by healthcare organizations worldwide to improve quality of care and quality of life for both those who receive and provide care.

In 2009, Frampton was named one of “20 People Who Make Healthcare Better” by Health Leaders Magazine. She has authored numerous publications, including the three editions of “Putting Patients First” and served as lead author on the National Academy of Medicine’s “Harnessing Evidence and Experience to Change Culture,” released in early 2017.

NQF was created in 1999 by a coalition of public- and private-sector leaders after the President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry concluded that an organization like NQF was needed to promote and ensure patient protections and health care quality through measurement and public reporting. NQF works with members of the health care community to drive measurable health improvements together.

The NQF Board of Directors provides strategic direction to the organization. Board members represent a range of health care leaders from the public and private sectors. 

They include providers, purchasers, and consumers, as well as representatives from influential federal agencies, including Gopal Khanna, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, George Sigounas, MS, PhD, Administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Anne Schuchat, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

NQF is the only consensus-based health care organization in the nation as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. This status allows the federal government to rely on NQF-defined measures or health care practices as the best, evidence-based approaches to improving care. 

The federal government, states, and private-sector organizations use NQF’s endorsed measures, which must meet rigorous criteria, to evaluate performance and share information with patients and their families.

Planetree will also play a leading role in NQF’s efforts to collaborate with patients, families, and caregivers as equal partners in designing health care activities that affect quality of care and experience.

As a member of the National Quality Partners™ Action Team to Co-Design Patient-Centered Health Systems, Guastello will join experts and recognized leaders from the private and public sector to help health systems prioritize the information gleaned from surveys, online review sites, social media, and Patient and Family Advisory Councils to pinpoint problems not readily apparent to staff, and engage patients, families, and caregivers in necessary improvement opportunities.

“This is an opportunity to engage a diverse cross-section of the people who utilize health systems in improving how those systems function,” Guastello said. 

“As patients become actively involved in co-design, health systems are better able to understand the real life implications of care processes and design systems that work within the contexts of peoples’ lives. This creates opportunities to improve patient satisfaction and engagement, staff engagement, and overall quality and safety.”

“NQF has the unique ability to pull together the diverse voices necessary to provide the collective perspective to chart the path for improving the quality of care in our country,” said NQF Board Chairman Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA. “It is an honor to work with Dr. Frampton and such a committed group of colleagues to advance a mission to improve health care outcomes for every person in every community.”

About National Quality Forum

The National Quality Forum works with members of the health care community to drive measurable health improvements together. 

NQF is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization that gives all health care stakeholders a voice in advancing quality measures and improvement strategies that lead to better outcomes and greater value. 

Learn more at www.qualityforum.org.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.