Meritus “What Matters Most to You?” strategy centers care on patient

Health system team members collaborated on a case study recently published in the Journal for Healthcare Quality. 

At Meritus Health, patients are asked “What matters most to you?”

This is more than just a question. This is about beginning to know what matters so that they can take care of the whole person. Patient responses provide insight into their priorities and leads to meaningful conversations between that person and their healthcare provider. And that patient-centered, personalized healthcare can significantly enhance healthcare outcomes and overall experiences.

Meritus team members recently wrote the peer reviewed, published paper in the Journal for Healthcare Quality. “What Matters to You, Matters to Us: A Case Study on Leveraging the Electronic Health Record for Patient-Centered Care” was written by Carly Critchfield, M.H.A., a supervisor of physician practices at Meritus; Vignesh Prasad, a second-year medical student at Drexel University in Philadelphia; and Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., president and CEO of Meritus Health and president and professor of the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine.

“To truly realize the benefits of patient-centered care, it is crucial to go beyond medical treatment,” the trio wrote in the case study. “Building a relationship with patients involves actively listening, understanding their values, experiences, and life context and integrating their preferences into the care plan.”

Meritus has recorded more than 80,000 responses of what matters most in the patient medical record, creating a strategic priority for the health system to personalize care, guide clinical decision making, and drive continuous improvement. This strategic priority is health system wide.

Responses from patients included “Keeping energy up,” “Tending garden, pets and family,” and “My kid in my life, making sure that I am able to have a job to provide for him.”

In the case study, patient responses were assessed and analyzed to identify the frequency of common answers. The responses were categorized into the top distinct groups.

The top five groups were family and relationships (noted 38% of the time), well-being, health concerns, lifestyle, religion and faith.

“Health status is determined by more than medical care, and thus knowing the whole person drives health status and the health of a population,” they wrote.

For more information on reading the case study, visit journals.lww.com/jhqonline and search for “What Matters to You, Matters to Us”.