Restructuring primary care for performance improvement.
Primary care practices can no longer consider ongoing quality assessment and management processes to be optional. There are ever-increasing demands from any number of interested parties for objectively measured proof of outcomes and quality of care. Primary Care Partners (PCP), a 16-site ambulatory affiliate of the Spectrum Health system in Grand Rapids, Michigan, began such a continuous quality improvement (CQI) effort in 2005. The intent was to develop an ongoing systematic process that would raise its performance potential and improve patient outcomes in the areas of chronic disease management and preventive services. This article describes the partnerships PCP established, specific benchmarks and measurements used, processes utilized, and results to date. This could be used as a roadmap for other primary care systems that are working to establish CQI in their daily operations.
Fawcett
Kenneth J
KJ
Spectrum Health Primary Care Partners, MC 845, 233 East Fulton Street, Suite 209, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA. kenneth.fawcett@spectrum-health.org
Brummel
Stacy
S
Byrnes
John J
JJ
D019468:Disease Management; D004526:Efficiency; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000379:methods; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States