Patient Care Funds: What Are They?
Quality patient care is a driving force behind the work of CIR. Responding to the needs of their patients, members of CIR negotiated Patient Care Funds (PCF). These funds evolved because residents had many suggestions on how to better serve their patients — yet found that year after year, equipment they felt was needed was not included in their hospital budgets.
In response to that frustration, CIR members in Los Angeles negotiated with their hospitals for funding for purchases for patient care needs in 1975. The news of that success spread, and residents in New York City's public hospitals picked up on the idea in 1980 and created their own Patient Care Fund. Boston and Cambridge were the next to follow suit; San Francisco and Alameda County in California, and some voluntary hospitals in New York recently negotiated and won PCFs.
Patient Care Funds give residents a say in how best to provide for their patients — and that is a key to their success. PCF purchases include practical equipment such as ultrasound scanners, vital signs monitors and portable Doppler units, as well as yoga classes for patients who are the victims of violence, and taxi vouchers for patients leaving the hospital late at night without the means to cover transportation. The costs for Patient Care Fund purchases vary, but the need is always great.