No abstract

BACKGROUND: Quality improvement is a central goal of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model, and requires the use of relevant performance measures that can effectively guide comprehensive care improvements. Existing literature suggests performance measurement can lead to improvements in care quality, but may also promote practices that are detrimental to patient care. Staff perceptions of performance metric implementation have not been well-researched in medical home settings. OBJECTIVE: To describe primary care staff (clinicians and other staff) experiences with the use of performance metrics during the implementation of the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model of care. DESIGN: Observational qualitative study; data collection using role-stratified focus groups and semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and forty-one of 337 (72 %) identified primary care clinic staff in PACT team and clinic administrative/other roles, from 15 VHA clinics in Oregon and Washington. APPROACH: Data coded and analyzed using conventional content analysis techniques. KEY RESULTS: Primary care staff perceived that performance metrics: 1) led to delivery changes that were not always aligned with PACT principles, 2) did not accurately reflect patient-priorities, 3) represented an opportunity cost, 4) were imposed with little communication or transparency, and 5) were not well-adapted to team-based care. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care staff perceived responding to performance metrics as time-consuming and not consistently aligned with PACT principles of care. The gaps between the theory and reality of performance metric implementation highlighted by PACT team members are important to consider as the medical home model is more widely implemented.

BACKGROUND:The Veterans Health Administration (VA) Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) initiative is designed to deliver a medical home model of care associated with better patient outcomes, but success will depend in part on the model's acceptability and sustainability among clinic employees. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify key themes in the experience of primary care providers, nurse care managers, clerical and clinical associates, and clinic administrators implementing PACT, with the aim of informing recommendations for continued development of the model and its components. DESIGN: Observational qualitative study; data collection from 2010 to 2013, using role-stratified and team focus groups and semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS: 241 of 337 (72 %) identified primary care clinic employees in PACT team or administrative roles, from 15 VA clinics in Oregon and Washington. APPROACH: Data coded and analyzed using conventional content analysis techniques. KEY RESULTS: Overall, participants were enthusiastic about the PACT concept, but felt necessary resources for success were not yet in place. Well-functioning teams were perceived as key to successful implementation. Development of such teams depended on adequate staffing, training, and dedicated time for team development. Changes within the broader VA system were also seen as necessary, including devolving greater control to the clinic level and improving system alignment with the PACT model. PACT advocates from among clinic and institutional level leadership were identified as a final key ingredient for success. These themes were consistent despite differences in clinic settings and characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: PACT implementation faced significant challenges in its early years. Realizing PACT's transformative potential will require acting on the needs identified by clinic workers in this study: ensuring adequate staffing in all team roles, devoting resources to in-depth training for all employees in communication and other skills needed to maximize team success, and aligning the broader VA hospital system with PACT's decentralized, team-based approach.KEY WORDS: primary care redesign; patient-centered medical home; team-based care; Veterans; health services research; qualitative research.

Efforts to optimize CHF self-management should attend to health system and psychosocial barriers to care.

Background:The Veterans Health Administration (VA) has implemented the largest shift to a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of care in the United States to date.Objective:We interviewed veterans about their experiences of primary care to understand whether they observed changes in care during this period as well as to learn which characteristics of care mattered most to their experiences.Method:Qualitative interviews were conducted with 32 veterans receiving primary care at 1 of 8 VA clinics in the northwest United States. Interviews were analyzed using an inductive–deductive hybrid approach by an interdisciplinary team that included a veteran patient.Result:Participants noticed recent positive changes, including improved communications and shorter waits in clinic, but rarely were aware of VA’s PCMH initiative; a strong relationship with the primary care provider and feeling cared for/respected by everyone involved in care delivery were key components of quality care. The needs of the veteran community as a whole also shaped discussion of care expectations.Conclusion:The PCMH model may provide benefits even when invisible to patients. Veteran awareness of population needs suggests a promising role for veteran involvement in further PCMH transformation efforts.

No abstract