Measuring What Matters In Primary Care
Editor’s Note: This is one of several posts Health Affairs Blog is publishing stemming from sessions at the June 2015 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) in Minneapolis.
What Do We Mean By ‘Primary Care’
Numerous studies have confirmed the central role of excellent primary care to any health system. Yet how to define the presence of excellent primary care remains a challenge. A recent review found that five characteristics remain the “sine qua non” for primary care practice:
Accessible (first contact) care
Continuous care
Comprehensive care
Coordinated care
Accountable/whole-person care.
Each individual feature is necessary, but not alone sufficient, to assure high quality primary care. Clinicians and practices may provide one or even a few of these elements but do not fulfill the primary care role. For example, a retail clinic that provides only first contact care, no matter how accessible, would lack the continuity and coordination inherent to the primary care role. Continuous care of a serious chronic condition like systemic lupus or multiple myeloma is not by itself primary care; to serve in that role the treating rheumatologist or hematologist must also be accessible and able to address common or urgent concerns as well.
Even applying comprehensive clinical skills and providing excellent care coordination do not by themselves constitute primary care. Emergency medicine physicians, critical care physicians, and trauma surgeons may exemplify these featu...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Eugene Rich and Ann O’Malley Tags: Costs and Spending Featured Health Professionals Hospitals Medicare Organization and Delivery Population Health Quality AcademyHealth 2015 ARM Access chronic conditions clinician productivity comprehensive care continuous care Source Type: blogs
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