The "nuts and bolts" of implementing shared medical appointments: the Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates experience.
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates (Harvard Vanguard) decided to develop a Shared Medical Appointment (SMA) program in 2007 for a variety of reasons. The program has launched 86 SMAs in 17 specialties at 12 sites and has exceeded 13 000 patient visits. Currently, the practice offers 54 SMAs and is believed to be the largest program in the country. This article provides an overview regarding staffing, space and equipment, project planning, promotional materials, training programs, workflow development, and the use of quality improvement (ie, LEAN) tools used to monitor the work to be completed and the metrics to date.
Shared Medical Appointment Program, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Newton, MA 02466, USA. Jill_Berger-Fiffy@vmed.org
Jill
J
Berger-Fiffy
D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008297:Male; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009819:Office Visits; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States; D057188:Workflow