HomeWhat's New Independent Evaluation Team Shares Second Round of Preliminary Findings From TransforMED Medical Home National Demonstration Project

Independent Evaluation Team Shares Second Round of Preliminary Findings From TransforMED Medical Home National Demonstration Project

05/28/2009

LEAWOOD, Kan. – A team of independent evaluators today released the second round of preliminary findings from the TransforMED medical home national demonstration project. The two-year pilot, undertaken by TransforMED, was supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians. These most recent findings pertain to the implementation of health information technology and the use of chronic disease registries.

Health information technology, such as EHRs, Web portals, and chronic disease registries can be implemented by a range of family practices, including small and rural practices.

• Small, private practices in the NDP were successful in the implementation of electronic health records.
• Rural practices were able to successfully implement a range of health information technology, including EHRs, patient portals and disease registries.
• Fourteen of the 31 practices successfully implemented patient Web portals which enable patients to receive services via the Internet, such as secure e-visits and online lab results. Twelve of the 14 practices that implemented portals were small, private practices.
• Fifteen practices successfully implemented disease registries, 10 of which were small, private practices.
• While financial issues presented barriers in many cases, small practices were also in need of assistance in making decisions about software capability and selecting an EHR and related technology.
• Some practices needed assistance in implementing an EHR and integrating new work processes into the practice routine. Nearly all of the NDP practices reported that implementing the EHR was more complicated and time consuming than they anticipated.

Chronic disease registries are beneficial, but implementation is not trivial.

• NDP practices found value in registries that allowed them to adopt a population-based, proactive approach to management of prevention and chronic disease care.
• NDP practices said disease registries provided opportunities to more fully engage practice staff in a more team-based approach to patient care.
• While most practices were eager to implement registries, fewer were willing or able to perform the "double data entry" required when EHRs will not support or populate a stand-alone registry.

Additional findings from the NDP, including outcomes data on quality measures and patient satisfaction, will be published upon completion of extensive data analysis by the NDP independent evaluation team. To view TransforMED's "Preliminary Answers to Policy-Relevant Questions," visit http://www.transformed.com/evaluatorsReports/preliminaryAnswers.cfm.

The TransforMED NDP concluded in May 2008, when 31 of 36 diverse medical practices successfully completed a two-year endeavor to test and establish best practices for implementing various components of the PCMH model of care in primary care office settings. They also set out to determine empirically whether patient-centered care could deliver on its promise to improve quality of care and practice performance.

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About the American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents more than 94,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care. Nearly one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 208 million office visits each year – nearly 83 million more than the next largest medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America's underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. In the increasingly fragmented world of health care where many medical specialties limit their practice to a particular organ, disease, age or sex, family physicians are dedicated to treating the whole person across the full spectrum of ages. Family medicine's cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. 

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.