RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 What AHRQ Learned While Working to Transform Primary Care
JF The Annals of Family Medicine
JO Ann Fam Med
FD American Academy of Family Physicians
SP 161
OP 166
DO 10.1370/afm.3090
VO 22
IS 2
A1 Meyers, David
A1 Miller, Therese
A1 De La Mare, Jan
A1 Gerteis, Jessie S.
A1 Makulowich, Gail
A1 Weber, Gabrielle H.
A1 Zhan, Chunliu
A1 Genevro, Janice
YR 2024
UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/22/2/161.abstract
AB Building on previous efforts to transform primary care, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) launched EvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health in 2015. This 3-year initiative provided external quality improvement support to small and medium-size primary care practices to implement evidence-based cardiovascular care. Despite challenges, results from an independent national evaluation demonstrated that the EvidenceNOW model successfully boosted the capacity of primary care practices to improve quality of care, while helping to advance heart health. Reflecting on AHRQ’s own learnings as the funder of this work, 3 key lessons emerged: (1) there will always be surprises that will require flexibility and real-time adaptation; (2) primary care transformation is about more than technology; and (3) it takes time and experience to improve care delivery and health outcomes. EvidenceNOW taught us that lasting practice transformation efforts need to be responsive to anticipated and unanticipated changes, relationship-oriented, and not tied to a specific disease or initiative. We believe these lessons argue for a national primary care extension service that provides ongoing support for practice transformation.