Profiles in Primary Care

In this issue, Tom Bodenheimer, Editor of Primary Care Insight, describes the innovative primary care practice at the Group Health (GH) Olympia Medical Center, Group Health’s largest site, and medical home to more than 40,000 patients.

Over three years, GH Olympia implemented GH’s patient-centered medical home model in order to improve care, improve patient and provider experience, and reduce overall cost of care. Tom describes this transformation and efforts made to: 1) reduce panel sizes, extend visits, and improve access, 2) increase use of “virtual medicine” (e-mail and phone visits) and improve call management, 3) and improve team function.
 
GH dramatically reduced the amount of care provided through face-to-face clinician encounters resulting in improved access to same-day appointments.  Clinicians have virtual desktop time to respond to patient emails and engage patients in phone visits, and a third of patient phone calls are resolved before they hang up their first phone call.  Much of this success stems from improved team communication and function through huddles, co-location and the creation of a “stable dyad” – a clinician/MA team that works together daily.  Olympia has creatively solved many challenges facing primary care practices today, and it is determined to continue making improvements.
 
Click HERE to read the story and give us your opinion in the Forum!

 

In the Forums

First Call Resolution

Group Health has placed an emphasis on call management.  As an example they follow their "first call resolution" rate or the rate in which patients have their issues resolved before they hang up on their first phone call.  Their current LEAN goal is 65% first call resolution!  High first call resolution rates significantly reduce phone call volume and improve patient experience of care.  What are others doing with their call management systems to improve access and experience of care via telephones?  Tell us what you are doing in our Forum.

Standing Orders

Standing orders can empower non-clinician team members to order studies, renew chronic medications, and even treat patients with uncomplicated medical issues (e.g. urinary tract infections, URIs).  Standing orders may enhance the ability of primary care team members to function at the top of their licenses.  However, they need to be written with great care, ensuring that inappropriate patients are not inadvertently included.  How (for what) are people using standing orders in your practices?  Tell us what you are doing in our Forum.

Pub Hub

Pub Hub comprises summaries of journal articles in/from the realms of primary care innovation, education, and health policy. For each issue of Primary Care Insight, reviewers comb 18 pre-selected journals from the previous quarter, and Editorial Board members contribute articles of interest, as well. You’ll find articles from numerous sources, including non-peer reviewed publications, which will keep you abreast of developments in these fields. If you want to recommend articles not included here, we encourage you to post them on our Forum.


Click HERE for Pub Hub.

Insight Discussions

Toolbox

How did they do it? The Toolbox is meant to provide you with practical tools and resources that will aid you in the replication of the innovations and transformations you’ve seen highlighted in Profiles in Primary Care.

1) Empanelment Implementation Guide
At the core of Clinica’s transformation is the degree to which they use empanelment, which greatly improves the relationship between patients and their providers and care teams. This implementation guide explains the purpose and process of empanelment and provides step-by-step directions for successful implementation.
Medical Assistants (MAs) play a distinctly different role in Clinica’s team-based care model and are critical to creating a patient-centered environment. This guide provides materials that practices can use to enhance the skills of MAs.
Clinica’s robust self-management support philosophy enables patients to feel confident in taking control of their own care and provides patients with a great deal of support in doing so. This implementation guide presents strategies providers can use to actively engage and support patients and their families before, during, and in between office visits.

Websites

Thoughts?

Do you know of an innovative primary care practice or educational program for us to highlight on Primary Care Insight?  Maybe you don't have time to write it up but would love to share it with others?  Send us your recommendations HERE.  And please let us know what you think of Insight or how we can make it better!