Seeking Volunteer Healthcare Consumers

The Qsource is developing a volunteer network designed to engage Medicare beneficiaries and caregivers in the CMS quality improvement work. We plan to recruit at least 3-5 consumers/patients who are on Medicare or their caregivers for each of the communities where we are striving to improve health and healthcare. They will serve as the voice of the people in their community. Our hope is that these volunteers will:

• Actively participate in their local QIN-QIO-organized communities as the patient voice and assist in the identification of best practices from the beneficiary perspective.
• Attend local community meetings as their schedule permits.
• Provide unique views and ideas that support CMS and the Qsource in its’ pursuit of helping Medicare beneficiaries and those who care for them stay healthy and make better-informed healthcare decisions.
• Participate in occasional email surveys.
• Review draft patient education materials and offer feedback.
• Promote the work of the QIN-QIO in bringing communities together in data-driven initiatives at the local, state and regional levels to achieve national health quality goals
• Advocate for patient needs, empowering other beneficiaries and their families to stand up for person-centered care through our QIN-QIOs’ quality improvement initiatives
• Help other Medicare beneficiaries exercise their right to high-quality care
• Educate and recruit others to adopt healthy behaviors and participate in the QIN-QIO’s beneficiary-focused work

Some volunteers may also choose to:

• Conduct outreach to implement programs in the community that promotes, maintains, and improves individual and community health.
• Provide information on available community resources.
• Collect data to help identify community health needs.
• Share stories (as appropriate) as part of learning and action network teleconferences with healthcare providers.

There are no educational or training requirements required. Individuals of all professional and educational backgrounds who have an interest are invited to apply to become volunteers. Successful volunteers will have the following skills:

• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. 
• Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people. 
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do. 
• Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.  We are not looking for professional speakers.  We are merely seeking individuals who are comfortable talking about health and healthcare in a local community social setting 

If you know of individuals who may be willing to serve in this capacity, please let your local QI Advisor know or contact Anthony Culver at Qsource ([email protected]).