New York Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy

Celebrating Patient Advocacy Week (April 2-8, 2001)

Thank You! You’re a Patient Champion

Your customer service representatives work hard all year to meet customers’ expectations, solve problems and improve customer satisfaction. However, patient advocates know that without the help of many, many people in your organization, they would not be able to do this. Your hospital’s support is crucial to meeting the needs of your customer.

Recognizing others in your organization who either help you help patients or are practicing patient advocacy on a routine, day-to-day basis is a wonderful way to promote your field and build positive relations with staff. The "You’re a Patient Champion" contest also promotes Patient Advocacy Week and lets you get the word out about what you do on a daily basis.

The following guidelines will help you with your own program. 

1. Publicity. Start publicizing at least six weeks prior to Patient Advocacy Week. The following are good avenues for getting the word out:

1. Employee newsletter (Talk to the editor and establish deadlines; sometimes they must have stories turned in 2-3 weeks before distribution.)
2. Flyers
3. E-mail
4. Posters
5. Presentations at department head/management meetings

2. Call for Nominees. Use a nomination form, complete with all pertinent information on the nominee, lines for details explaining the nomination (You may want to limit to 300 words.), and where to return the nomination form and deadlines for submitting an entry. Make sure that your posters, news articles, and flyers include the nomination form or the information for obtaining one. Make your deadline about three weeks prior to your announcement date to allow for judging, publicity of the winner, and presentation ceremony.
3. Who should be nominated? Ask employees to nominate any non-management employee in the organization who has gone above and beyond in the delivery of service to your customers. Attributes to look for are: stepping outside job descriptions to help a customer; taking extra time and effort to assist a customer; providing assistance to a co-worker to help a customer; or any effort that defines a "Champion." Nominations may come from any individual in the organization other than senior management.
4. Judging. Once the nominations are in, the judge’s work begins. Prior to this step, it’s important that you have established criteria for determining a winner. These may vary from length of service to the lengths that an employee went to help a customer. Prior to a general meeting of the judges (choose from a cross section of the organization, 5-7 members, with representation from your department), send the nominations to the judges, ask for a ranking of the nominees. As a panel, the judges may discuss, vote and then vote until the winner is chosen. If possible, you may want to include second and third place winners.
5. And the winner is…Announce your winner during Patient Advocacy Week. The announcement may be as simple or as elaborate as you like and may include:

1. An open house to announce the winner and celebrate the week.
2. A news article in the employee newsletter.
3. A memo from your department and with the support of your hospital administrator.
4. A special plaque and monetary or gift award.
5. A news release to your local newspaper.

 

 

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SAMPLE NOMINATION FORM

Thank you! You’re a Patient Champion

Patient Advocacy is not just for Patient Advocates

During National Patient Advocacy Week the (name of your department) would like to "advocate" for those people who believe that patient advocacy is a job for everyone who participates in patient care. There are people in this organization who go above and beyond for our patients when they are experiencing difficulties or who sometimes need additional help. Do you know who they are? If so (and, we know that you do), please nominate them for Champion Advocate. Once we receive your nomination, we will take the names to our panel of judges and our very own Champion Advocate will be announced during the week of National Patient Advocacy Week.
 
 

Nominee’s Name: 

Department: 

Phone:    

I believe that this person should be named Patient Champion because:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Your name: 

Your department: 
 
 

Please submit to the (name of your department) by (provide a date)

Thanks to the National Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy for these great ideas!
 

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