As standards, clinical practice and expectations in healthcare evolve, the need for expert guidance and support becomes even more critical in delivering a consistently high level of care.
To keep pace with these constantly shifting demands, Healthcare Competency Program Specialists is introducing our advanced program: Integrated Care Counsel—an elevated holistic approach that integrates law, medicine, and ethics into the practice of patient-centered care.
We provide evidence-based solutions designed to develop and support essential clinical competencies e.g. clear communication, principled decision-making and trust-building relationships—resulting in Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC).
Know where you want to go, but unsure how to get there?
“Patient-Centered Care” is widely recognized by healthcare as an important goal. However, despite its popularity as a concept, we lack a consistent definition and a systematic roadmap to help us get there.
Trial-and-error approaches often leave patients, clinicians and organizations with missing pieces to the puzzle, without a clear direction to follow in decision-making and communication. The result is falling short of the best possible outcomes—leading to confusion, eroded trust and even preventable harm.
What is Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC)?
Our Integrated Care Counsel defines Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC) as the highest standard of patient-centered care. Based on the core competencies identified by the National Academy of Medicine—patient-centered care, interdisciplinary teamwork, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics—OPCC provides healthcare professionals a practical approach to achieving consistent, measurable results in delivering safe, effective and whole-person care.
OPCC’s Mission is Three-Fold:
Advocate for Patients
We guide and support the delivery of patient-centered care that respects the whole person. Through clear communication, we help patients feel heard; understand their choices; and make informed decisions that build trust, avoid harm and improve outcomes.
Advocate for Clinicians
We guide and support healthcare professionals in delivering patient-centered care that strengthens relationships and aligns with what matters most to patients. We provide guidance and tools that help clinicians navigate complex dilemmas with confidence, integrity and compassion — reducing stress and preventing burnout—knowing they did right by their patients.
Advocate for Organizations
We help healthcare organizations support their staff in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. By strengthening clinicians’ skills in communication, principled decision-making and trust-building, reputations are enhanced while reducing costs related to preventable readmissions, staff turnover and legal risks.
How is Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC) Different?
OPCC eliminates complexity and provides a clear, practical framework that guides clinicians in:
- communicating clearly and effectively, reducing confusion and preventable risk
- understanding and respecting what truly matters to each patient— their physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual needs
- navigating difficult dilemmas with confidence, integrity and sensitivity
- building trusting relationships that result in better outcomes
Unlike solutions that focus only on policies, metrics or satisfaction scores, OPCC prioritizes the human and holistic factors that directly affect quality care, safety and trust.
Have you come to a fork in the road?
Without clear, supported direction, the path to your goals can become bumpy and full of obstacles—an uphill climb marked by costly missteps, miscommunication and frustration.
By following the Integrated Care Counsel’s roadmap, however, you are guided every step along the clearly marked OPCC path—one that provides objective direction and ongoing support to help you achieve consistent, measurable results while avoiding unnecessary risks and setbacks.
