Article Figures & Data
Tables
Role Core Functions Connection to Practices and Patients Educational Background Practice facilitator Help the practice organize, prioritize, and sequence QI activities
Train practice staff to understand and use data to drive QI
Increase practice capacity for QI activities
Help build a team orientation among practice staff and a practice culture receptive to change
Share best practices and lessons across practicesFacilitator is typically employed by an external organization (not the practice)
Facilitator works with practice staff (not patients)
Facilitator typically works mostly on site at the practice with some interactions by phone, e-mail, or video conference; some facilitators work entirely virtuallySocial work, nursing, counseling, health management, business, and other areas Care manager Assess the patient’s care needs
Develop, reinforce, and monitor individualized care plan
Provide patient education and training in self-management skills
Coordinate patient’s care with other providers and settings, and communicate needed information
Connect patient to community resources and social services
Participate in practice QI activitiesCare manager may be employed by the practice itself, a payer, or state. They are closely integrated into the practice team
Care manager provides services to patients and families
Care manager (as we define) works at the practice, and may also interact with patients by telephone, e-mail, in the patient’s home, or in other providers’ officesNursing, social work, counseling, and other areas -
QI = quality improvement.
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Additional Files
The Article in Brief
Enhancing the Primary Care Team to Provide Redesigned Care: The Roles of Practice Facilitators and Care Managers
Erin Fries Taylor , and colleagues
Background Policy makers are focusing on redesigning primary care in the United States to achieve better patient experience, improved health, and reduced costs. This report examines the distinct and complementary roles of 2 potential members of the primary care team in redesign and practice improvement processes: practice facilitators, also known as practice coaches or quality improvement coaches, and care managers.
What This Study Found Practice facilitators play a vital systems-level role in coordinating practice quality improvement and redesign efforts, helping build capacity for activities that improve quality and safety and the implementation of evidence-based practices. Care managers, on the other hand, do the critical work of coordinating patient care and helping patients navigate the system, improving access and communicating across the care team.
Implications
- These 2 members of the primary care team work in a complementary fashion to help primary care practices deliver coordinated, accessible, comprehensive, and patient-centered care.
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