The Article in Brief
The 10 Building Blocks of High-Performing Primary Care
Thomas Bodenheimer , and colleagues
Background A movement is underway to re-engineer primary care practices to help achieve better patient health, improved experience in the health care system, and more affordable costs. This article presents a conceptual model of 10 building blocks of high-performing primary care to assist practices as they transform.
What This Study Found The building blocks include 4 foundational elements--engaged leadership, data-driven improvement, empanelment, and team-based care--that assist the implementation of the other 6 building blocks: patient-team partnership, population management, continuity of care, prompt access to care, comprehensiveness and care coordination, and a template of the future.
Implications
- The authors suggest that, while the building blocks focus on design elements largely under the control of the practice organization, external reforms are needed to support the building blocks--principally a reformed payment model.