PVI is extremely grateful to the patients and families who shared their stories to be considered for the 2015 Patient Voice Impact Award! Below is the official news release with details of who won. In later posts we’ll share the judges’ thinking, what PVI learned through this process, and what’s ahead for 2016.

(From the left) Leah Binder, Pat Mastors, Rick Stone & Diane Stollenwerk

December 2, 2015, Washington, DC — A Georgia man whose story about his ailing father’s dying with dignity won the 2015 Patient Voice Impact award, sponsored by the Patient Voice Institute (PVI) and the Leapfrog Group. Rick Stone of Atlanta, Georgia received his award and $1,000 cash prize during a ceremony at the Leapfrog Group’s annual meeting. Presenting the award was Pat Mastors, PVI Executive Director, Diane Stollenwerk, PVI Chair of the Board, and Leah Binder, Leapfrog Group President and CEO. The presentation culminated with a standing ovation from an audience of more than 300 major national  employers, clinicians, hospital executives, and PVI supporters.

PVImpact Award Winner, Rick Stone

“Having the opportunity to share my family’s experience and the tough choices we had to make as my father died has been a powerful experience,” said Rick. “I hope that what we learned benefits others as they make this journey with their loved ones, and that the other voices being heard through the Patient Voice Institute have a transformative effect on patients and families around the world.”

See Rick’s winning submission here.

Honorable mentions included:

• Armando Nahum, an Atlanta man who lost his son to an infection the hospital (his story here.)
• Julie Cupp of Overland Park, Kansas, whose submission talked about her struggle to find the right care for her father who suffers from dementia (her story here)
• Mark Liang, a Brown University freshman from Los Angeles who found that coming “from a family of doctors” doesn’t necessarily equip you to understand the patient’s world (his entry here).

PVImpact Winner, Rick Stone, receiving his award from PVI Executive Director, Pat Mastors.

The first annual Patient Voice Impact Award was designed to recognize the value of the patient voice as an authentic “barometer” of how well things are working for patients as they experience the medical system. “As one patient, we can feel alone in our experiences, with little opportunity to be heard or to make a difference,” said Mastors, PVI executive director of the Patient Voice Institute (PVI), dedicated to organizing, supporting and amplifying the patient’s voice in health care. “PVI is creating a community of patients where we can pool, organize and share our unique stories, voices and talents, creating a powerful new resource that can be tapped for the benefit of ensuring the patient voice is heard, while strengthening our collective impact at the same time.”

A video about the power of patient stories, created with support from the National Board of Medical Examiners, also debuted during the award presentation. The video can be seen on the PVI home page.

Miguel Paniagua MD., introducing the new PVI video.

Miguel Paniagua MD., Medial Advisor to the National Board of Medial Examiners and a PVI board member, introduced the video. “The NBME recognizes the patient voice as a patient-centered driver of quality”, said Paniagua, “And that’s why we’re proud to support PVI  in its mission to strengthen patients’ capacity and impact as improvement partners.”

“Our membership of employers and other purchasers believes that health care should pivot around the patient experience, not the other way around,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, which promotes the safety, quality and affordability of health care through the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Hospital Safety Score. “When health care puts patients first, we all benefit. We’re proud to do our part to stand up for patients.