HomeWhat's New Priority Health engages TransforMED for Patient-Centered Medical Homes pilot project

Priority Health engages TransforMED for Patient-Centered Medical Homes pilot project

02/15/2009

Priority Health has selected TransforMED to facilitate a pilot project to transform five primary care practices in the Priority Health network to Patient-Centered Medical Homes. Priority Health is a nationally recognized health plan serving half a million people and 8,500 employers across 65 counties of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

The two-year commitment includes nine providers at HealthPark Medical Specialists in Grand Rapids, four providers at MMPC Internal Medicine in Grand Rapids, 17 providers at Lakewood Family Medicine in Holland, seven providers at South Washington Family Medicine in Holland and six providers at Spectrum Health Kentwood Family Medicine.

The Priority Health pilot project will include all patients in each of the five practices, not just their health plan members. "Our goal is to promote the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) concept, and provide a case for sustainability within our community. Although Priority Health has provided the funding for the TransforMED work, they will be working with all patient populations in each of the pilot practices. This represents about 85,000 people in the greater Grand Rapids and Holland areas. Our hope is to have these five practices share their experiences with all of our providers so that we can continue to disseminate this throughout our state," said Mindy Olivarez, program manager for the Priority Health pilot project.

	Left to right: Rebecca Malouin, Dr. Wadland, Steve Williams/Priority Health, Mindy Olivarez

TransforMED Practice Enhancement Facilitators are partnering with the designated practices to improve patients' ability to access care when needed; introduce new technological tools to assure quality and use of evidence-based standards; coordinate patient care so that it is seamless between practices, hospitals and specialists; and overall, improve the patient, staff and physician's experience.

The project kicked off with an event at the Priority Health Conference Center in Grand Rapids, Mich.. The keynote address entitled "Building the Foundations of a Lasting Patient-Centered Medical Home" was delivered by William C. Wadland, MD, MS. Dr. Wadland is Chair of Family Medicine and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development at Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine.

The kickoff concluded with a work session featuring role-based team-building activities to introduce the practice participants to one another and give each practice a structured opportunity to identify their biggest assets and challenges.

"At the kickoff it was exciting for me to see my lead physician and medical assistant networking with peers from the other practices that feel as passionate about primary care as we do,&rdquo said Maureen Vanklompenberg, practice manager for Spectrum Health Kentwood Family Medicine, one of the pilot project practices.

Priority Health's Olivarez agreed: "It was very rewarding to see different practices come together and work in teams to better understand the challenges that each are facing and to begin identifying opportunities to collaborate to effect change."

The project will be evaluated by Rebecca A. Malouin, PhD, MPH, from the Department of Family Medicine and Department of Pediatrics and Human Development at Michigan State University. "As the external evaluator for the Priority Health PCMH grants initiative, I am thrilled to be able to work with TransforMED in the five practices selected for facilitated transformation. Under mentorship by Dr. Barbara Starfield, we are utilizing the Primary Care Assessment Tool to assess the self-ratings of all practices in the grants initiative on the attributes of primary care. We will also assess the patients' perception of care for chronic illness, which is the focus of many of the grant projects.  We look forward to identifying the barriers and facilitators described in both the TransforMED facilitated practices and the practices receiving grant support for self-developed practice improvement initiatives."

"Rebecca Malouin came highly recommended and is endorsed by Dr. Starfield, whose work is widely respected and known," said Olivarez. "Dr. Malouin's experience with evaluation of systems and supports in clinical practice (with a particular focus on primary care) has assisted us in helping our network develop the capacity to do practice evaluation. We will measure our success by looking at pre- and post- measures for the following areas: Patient Satisfaction, Provider/Practice Experience, Clinical Indicators (HEDIS) and Health Services/Utilization data."

"I am very excited to partner with Priority Health on this project," said David Garrett, TransforMED VP of Practice Redesign Projects. "Priority Health is on the cutting edge of developing a new paradigm in today's healthcare so that all stakeholders; the providers, employers, insurance carriers and, most importantly, the patients get the best care, at the best value and everyone feels that they have been treated fairly in the process.&rdquo

About TransforMED

The Leawood, Kan.-based TransforMED LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Established in 2005, TransforMED provides ongoing consultation and support to physicians looking to transform their practices to a new model of care that is based on the concept of a patient-centered medical home. TransforMED is an active member of primary care communities and recognizes and supports the unique value that primary care offers to patients and the health care system. TransforMED shares and supports the idealism and altruism of primary care physicians and the strong commitment to their communities and patients through continuing patient relationships and independent decision making. TransforMED offers practices both products and services, including consultation and advice on implementing the patient centered medical home model. To learn more about TransforMED, visit www.transformed.com.