Effective Resource Utilization Strategies That Increase Practice Confidence and Buy-in to PCMH
| Strategy | Exemplary Qualitative Data |
|---|---|
| Appropriately manage and organize staff for PCMH | [When asked what change had the most positive impact on the practice]: “On a more systematic level…we tried very hard to get [personnel] to identify tasks they were doing that they could unload to other team members, so that more of their time would be available for doing [new responsibilities]. That was probably the biggest thing, that kind of re-shifting of responsibilities to free up more time…. Then we hired this new medical assistant to enable this health-coaching process.” |
| Secure sufficient funding to make PCMH changes | [When asked, “Do you think any of these changes would have been possible if you didn’t have the financial support from the Initiative?”]: “Absolutely not. As it is, we are running the practice on a shoestring. The doctors’ earnings every year is at the very low end of what primary care physicians earn, and we have accepted that because we would rather spend more time with patients than see more patients, and generate more revenue that way.” |
| Participate in PCMH learning collaborative(s) | “Getting people to go to the collaborative, and getting understanding of what really the collaborative was about, and also seeing their peers there from other practices and how other practices were embracing the collaborative—that was very helpful, and it made people understand this was a bigger deal than just my ruminations.… They could see what their peers were doing, and to one degree other people were embracing the process, and so why couldn’t we do the same thing?” |
PCMH = patient-centered medical home.