Supporting Primary Care Patient-Centered Medical Homes with Community Care Teams: Findings from a Pilot Study
Publication/Presentation Date
8-2014
Abstract
Objective: With the growing recognition that team-based care might help meet the country’s primary care needs, this study’s objective was to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of multidisciplinary community care teams (CCTs) deployed to primary care practices transforming into patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). Methods: A nonrandomized longitudinal study design was used contrasting the CCT practices/patients with non-CCT comparison groups. Outcomes included utilization (ED/hospital use), quality indicators (QIs), practice joy, and patient satisfaction. Two CCTs (consisting of nurse care manager, behavioral health specialist, social worker, and pharmacist) were deployed to 6 primary care practices and provided services to 406 patients. Practice level analyses compared patients from the 6 CCT practices not receiving team services (29,881 patients) to 3 non-CCT practices (22,350 patients) that were also transforming toward PCMH. The comparison group for the patient level analyses (patients who received CCT services) was patients from the same CCT practice who did not receive CCT services. Results: At the practice level, there were significant improvements in QIs for practices both with and without CCTs. However, reductions in the probability of an admission and readmission occurred only for high-risk patients in CCT practices. At the patient level, the probability of an unplanned admission was reduced for CCT and non-CCT patients, but the probability of a readmission was only reduced in CCT patients receiving hospital discharge reconciliation calls from CCT staff. Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest possible added benefit of CCTs over PCMHs alone for reducing hospitalization.
Volume
21
Issue
8
First Page
352
Last Page
361
Published In/Presented At
Foltz, C., Lawrence, S., Biery, N., Gratz, N., Paxton, H., & Swavely, D. (2014). Supporting primary Care patient-centered medical homes with community care teams: Findings from a pilot study. Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management, 21(8), 352-361.
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Health Services Research | Medical Specialties | Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing | Primary Care | Public Health and Community Nursing
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership, Department of Community Health and Health Studies, Department of Family Medicine, LVHN Accountable Care Organization LLC, Patient Care Services / Nursing
Document Type
Article