Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education - Outcome Project
The Outcome Project is a multi-decade initiative to transform medical education and the accreditation process. After a thorough literature review and obtaining feedback and input from representatives of all key constituencies, including patients, the ACGME standards were rewritten to include competencies in six areas. It is significant that several of these areas reflect a commitment to principles of patient- and family-centered care.

American Academy on Physician and Patient
The AAPP has set its mission to enhance health care through educational initiatives designed to improve communication and relationships between physicians and patients. Training opportunities, publications, and patient and family stories are offered on the site.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing
The AACN represents America 's baccalaureate- and higher-degree nursing education programs. In light of the serious nursing shortage and the current state of health care as described by the Institute of Medicine, the AACN is working to increase the workforce and enhance the role of nurses through a number of initiatives. Many of these integrate patient- and family-centered care such as the National Commission on Nursing Workforce for Long-Term Care.

American Association of Critical Care Nurses
AACN provides leadership and resources to their members to improve health care for critically ill patients and their families. Core concepts of patient- and family-centered are integrated throughout their practice guidelines. The AACN has developed the Synergy Model for Patient Care and integrated it into their certification credentialing program. The Synergy Model views patients and families as active participants in care and decision-making.

Association of American Medical Colleges
The AAMC is a nonprofit association of medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic societies. The AAMC seeks to improve the nation's health by enhancing the effectiveness of academic medicine. Leaders in AAMC have been vocal supporters of patient- and family-centered care and have worked to integrate key concepts including cultural competence into academic medicine.

Future of Family Medicine
This site provides a detailed description and products of the FFM project which is a collaborative effort of seven organizations to develop a strategy to transform and renew the specialty of family medicine to meet the needs of individuals and society in a changing world. Based on a national research project, the FFM has come up with revised core values that include promoting a patient-centered team approach and elimination of barriers to access.

Healthcare Communication Project, Inc.
This non-profit organization based in New York state, offers a variety of practical resources for patients, families, and others who want to improve the physician-patient relationship and become active in their own healthcare. The Healthcare Communication Review is their semi-annual newsletter, written for patients and professionals offering practical advice; philosophical discussions; reviews of current research; and patient and professional perspective of healthcare.

Institute for Healthcare Communication
Formerly, the Bayer Institute for Health Care Communication, this organization provides education and resources to promote partnerships between patients and providers in clinical practice. The site offers many resources for professional development including, an Annotated Bibliography for Clinician Patient Communication to Enhance Health Outcomes as well as case studies and training resources.

Institute for the Study of Health and Illness at Commonweal
ISHI was founded and is directed by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD. It is an education and training center for physicians who want to strengthen or renew their commitment to the values that inspired them to practice medicine. Also offered is an outreach program called, Finding Meaning in Medicine, which promotes the creation of small local communities of physicians, medical students, nurses, and others who come together to explore the deeper meaning of health care practice.

National Center for Cultural Competency
This center's work is focused on increasing the capacity of health and mental health programs to design, implement, and evaluate culturally and linguistically competent service delivery systems. They offer numerous and valuable online resources including self-assessment tools and publications as well as on-site training and education.

American Medical Students Association, Cancer Outreach and Relief Effort
For over 15 years, CORE has been matching medical students with pediatric oncology patients and their siblings across various medical schools. The program is intended to provide individual emotional support for the patients and their siblings as well as relief for their parents while allowing medical students to gain a better understanding of the issues involved in chronic illness.

Parent to Parent of Vermont
This parent-to-parent organization, founded in 1987, serves as an exemplary statewide program to help families with children with special needs find information and support from other parents, health care professionals and their communities. The organization also offers several opportunities for families who want to become more involved in changing the system, including programs to train families to serve as faculty in medical education.

Project DOCC
Project DOCC (Delivery of Chronic Care) improves the quality of care for severely chronically ill children and young adults by educating pediatricians-in-training about their special needs from a parent's perspective.