Patient & Family Advisory Council

Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) is an approach to planning, delivering and evaluating healthcare including the patient and family’s perspective.

PFACs exist in hospitals across the United States. These programs have been around for decades and help healthcare organizations identify patient and family needs.

Baptist Health is committed to provide patient-and family-centered care, recognizing patients and families’ invaluable role in ensuring healthcare quality and safety. In alignment with this commitment, we established the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC), which fosters a collaborative environment where patient and family voices are integral to our healthcare delivery process.

The PFAC is designed to involve patients and their family members in our quality, safety and service enhancements. PFAC members can provide fresh insights and perspectives into operational and policy decisions.

• Work in an advisory role to enhance patient- and family-centered care initiatives.
• Act as a sounding board in developing and evaluating new or existing services, programs, ethics policies, education and facilities.
• Provide feedback on current healthcare practices and policies.
• Represent patient and family perspectives about the healthcare experience and make recommendations for improvement.
• Contribute to professional education and staff development initiatives on patient- and family-centered care practices.

Baptist Health has PFACs at specific locations. Each PFAC may have up to 15 members. Members include:

• Current or former patients
• Family members of current or former patients
• Hospital administrators
• Hospital staff

PFAC members — also called advisors — are accepted through an application and interview process. Selection is based on an applicant’s experiences, perspectives and ability to work collaboratively.

Prospective members can apply directly to a Baptist Health PFAC or be referred by a Baptist Health employee or member of our medical staff.

PFAC members must be at least 18 years old. Selected members serve for two years and may request re-appointment when their term is up.

Other membership requirements include:

• Ability to represent patient experiences
• Willingness to work collaboratively and in an advisory role
• Ability to interact well with diverse groups and with people who have differing opinions
• Positive, constructive attitude
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to participate in a consistent and agreed-upon schedule of meetings

Please read our full charter document