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In 2015, McLaren Physician Partners had an e ective year in using the PCMH model to improve quality of care. “Over 50 percent of our primary care physicians’ practices are recognized as PCMHs now — that’s a real milestone for us,” says Wentzlo . “This is where the industry is going when it comes to pay for performance, and the medical home concept is crucial to that.” McLaren is turning the PCMH into a tool for building the quality of care in part by making the patient an active partner in assuring good treatment. For example, patients are asked to sign o on a shared commitment with their physician to be more engaged
with their care plans. Patients with diabetes could traditionally seek prescription renewals just by asking their doctor’s o ce to call them in. Now, patients must rst have their lab work checked on a regular basis before prescriptions are re lled. At rst take, this seems like added bureaucracy and expense, but in fact, it assures that changes in a patient’s condition are caught early, improving health and actually cutting long-term costs.
The medical home philosophy provides many other supports for patients to improve the quality of their care. McLaren has community resource managers in each of our hospitals. These facilitators help patients nd transportation, access local social service programs, and provide referrals to other needs. Our facilities are also forming patient support groups for issues such as chronic disease and nutrition. These help patients with self-management of their conditions — and build friendships.
“We’re focusing a lot on continual improvement in patient safety and clinical outcomes,” is how McLaren Health Care CEO Phil Incarnati sums up the transition underway in quality. “We want all of our care outcomes to be predictably good, and, by implication, clinical outcomes must be highly reliable.”
“one of the reaSonS phYSICIanS lIke our orGanIzatIon IS that wE hAVE QUALITY pERfORMANcE SpEcIALISTS who Go out to theIr praCtICeS to help theM. It’S a hANDS-ON AppROAch TO QUALITY, rather than JuSt BrInGInG theM In for SeMInarS. ThE kEY IS cONSTANT cOMMUNIcATION wITh ThE phYSIcIANS.”
DR. LAwRENcE cOwSILL
Senior Medical director, Mclaren physician partners
McLaren HeaLtH Care
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