This is the last post in a series of three posts.
By Andrea Estes
Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs Innovation Manager
Washington State Health Care Authority
Tenaya Sunbury, PhD
Senior Research Manager
First Steps Database (Reproductive, Maternal, and Infant Health) Team
In the first post of this series, we discussed why person-centered measures like the Person-Centered Contraceptive Counseling Survey (PCCC) are essential to modern, responsive family planning policy. In the second post, we explored how democratizing patient experience data allows systems to move from measurement to improvement. The final step is to ensure client voice is meaningfully embedded in ongoing policy work.
The Family Planning Only (FPO) program at Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) has included the Person-Centered Contraceptive Counseling Retrospective Survey (PCCC-RS) as part of its program evaluation. Rather than relying solely on complaints, advocacy, or utilization data, PCCC-RS creates a structured way to hear directly from clients about their lived experiences with care and access to contraception methods.
Including PCCC-RS allows HCA to review client voice alongside other post-visit data, such as claims or utilization patterns. Importantly, the data can be disaggregated and stratified—by care setting, contraceptive method, or population group—to identify where experiences differ and where targeted support or policy changes may be needed. This creates opportunities to work with the broader community of stakeholders on solutions before issues escalate into systemic problems or formal grievances.
Where do we go from here?
The pilot results were encouraging, Washington’s FPO clients reported generally positive experiences. At the same time, the pilot results highlight opportunities for improvement.
For example, the lowest score was on the item: “Giving you enough information to make the best decision about your birth control method.” For this year’s survey, we intend to learn more about why clients feel this way by including more structured options on what information clients want and space for direct feedback.
HCA is partnering with the Department of Social and Health Services Research and Data Analysis (RDA) trained phone interviewers to conduct this survey. During the pilot year, the phone interviewers had a significantly higher response rate than the text-based method and their role support a higher quality process. This demonstrates an ability to gain depth in information in response to previous scores for quality improvement actions.
We have posted the FPO pilot year data report written by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) on our HCA Reproductive health webpage and will post subsequent reports throughout implementation.
The FPO team is also working closely with the HCA Quality Measurement, Monitoring, & Improvement team to explore where this patient experience analysis and process may have broader future impacts such as value-based payment models, managed care networks, or in shared decision-making tools.
Person-centered policy is not just about what is written into regulation, it is about listening early, often, and systematically to the people policies are meant to serve.
If your organization has recommendations on how to engage or use this data, reach out to Andrea Estes, Sexual & Reproductive Health Programs Innovation Manager, through the HCA Family Planning Only program inbox.