Stakeholders In Health Care: A Case Study

In 2014, my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. At the time, I didn’t realize how much of an impact that diagnosis would have on me. Shortly after I graduated from college, my family moved him to the United States to live with us, and I became his caregiver. It was difficult to watch a man who was once so active, frustrated to have his body and mind betray him. Without the help of temporary relief from respite services and family support, I would have likely given into the “caregiver burden”. While navigating the healthcare system, I had unknowing become his voice because he could not speak for himself. It was this experience helped me to see caregivers an access to care intervention, and led to my interest in aging-related policy. Through the experiences that followed, I began to see caregivers as stakeholders in the healthcare, which led to my

I was drawn to the organization because they framed caregivers in a way I had not heard before, as “stakeholders” in the healthcare system. PCORI, who was authorized by Congress through the Affordable Care Act, funds patient-centered outcomes research, which addresses the questions and concerns that are most relevant to patients. In my role as Program Associate for Stakeholder Engagement, I evaluate all of the Engagement Department’s activities, conduct environmental research on healthcare stakeholder communities, and find gaps in our interactions with stakeholders. My most recent responsibility involves managing elements of the recruitment process for our Advisory Panels, which aims to bring together voices from stakeholder communities to advise staff and our Board of Governors on engagement efforts and relevant research questions. This opportunity to improve our selection process reminded me of diversity’s importance in the decision-making process and, subsequently, the policy