Statewide survey identifies major opportunities to improve patient-centered care

Abstract

Primary care physicians (PCPs) are being challenged to provide higher quality and more patient-centered care. The Patient-Centered Medical Home Model has been demonstrated to improve healthcare quality as well as patient and physician satisfaction by fostering patient self-management, team-based care, work flow redesign, care coordination, patient–centered care, population health focus, and open access.1-3 Many states like North Carolina and Louisiana have launched major statewide efforts to support the development of patient-centered medical homes.4,5 However, poorly aligned reimbursement mechanisms and inadequate quality improvement (QI) infrastructure make adoption of emerging best practices difficult. Little is known regarding PCPs’ practice improvement needs and preferences and their willingness and ability to implement new models for delivery of effective primary care.6 This study seeks to assess challenges faced by PCPs in their efforts to improve quality of care, their level of interest in adopting new best practices in the ambulatory setting, and to learn what types of ambulatory QI support they need most to improve care for the patients they serve.