About the Consumer Quality Advisory Committee

Mission:

To provide consumer input to the HIV Quality of Care Program.

Background:

The Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) has been active and holding quarterly meetings since 2002. Committee members represent the diversity of the AIDS epidemic in NYS in terms of geography, age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability status, socio-economic status and exposure category. The CAC has at least two representatives from each region of NYS to ensure representation and communication. In 2008, the adult Consumer Advisory Committee recommended the establishment of a Young Adult Consumer Advisory Committee (YACAC) to address the needs and gain input from young people living with HIV. In the interest of strengthening ties between the two vulnerable populations of HIV positive youth and older adults living with the virus, the YACAC merged with the larger CAC to form the CAC/YACAC in 2016.

Scope of Work:

The CAC/YACAC advises, from the consumer experience, the NYS DOH on policy matters related to the New York State HIV Quality of Care Program. Key committee activities include identifying issues affecting the quality of HIV care, advising on quality indicators, identifying issues for statewide improvement initiatives, and reviewing clinical guidelines and educational materials. Committee members communicate the work of CAC/YACAC back to their regions and report on regional issues to the statewide committee.

Relationship with QAC:

The Consumer Advisory Committee/YACAC works in close partnership with the NYS HIV Clinical Quality of Care Advisory Committee (QAC), which advises Quality of Care Program. Co-chairs and other members attend respective meetings to ensure transparency and overlapping of agenda items including updates from both committees. Joint meetings of the CAC, YACAC and QAC were held in September 2014 and 2015 and December 2017.

Recommendations from these meetings critically informed significant NYSDOH AI initiatives including, but not limited to the following:

• The alignment of the NYS quality of care program with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “Ending the Epidemic” (ETE) initiative and improvement of the ETE Dashboard
• Submissions of Treatment Cascades and Quality Improvement Plans among healthcare facilities across New York State
• The development of tools to measure and address HIV/AIDS related stigma in all healthcare facilities participating in the NYS HIV quality of care program
• Dissemination of Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHOH) survey and development of pilot virtual peer DHOH HIV testing services.
• Formation of subcommittees to address patient reported experience/outcome measures (PREMS/PROMS) and Drug User Health.
• The revision of statewide quality indicators to improve the quality of STI care in NYS