Recommendations and Promising Practices
Recommendations
The primary care setting provides an ideal opportunity for health care providers to work in partnership with patients and families in developing individual plans of care. These partnerships are critical to optimizing individual and family health. To support this approach to direct care, primary care settings need structures and processes in place to develop and sustain effective partnerships with patients and families to enhance quality, safety, and the experience of care. Read more.
Promising Practices
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A patient advisor trains other patients to provide education and peer support.
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Several forward thinking organizations have begun to successfully transform approaches to primary care. These organizations are working to encourage and prepare patients and families to be key partners on their health care team. They are also inviting patients and families to plan and implement these changes at the organizational level. In this section you will find summaries of several initiatives to inspire others to continue to advance patient- and family-centered primary care.
Medical Home
The concept of the "medical home" was first described over 25 years ago as a strategy to promote family-centered, community-based, coordinated care for children with special health care needs and has been subsequently adapted to more broadly apply to primary care for other populations. Read more.
Collaborative Self-Management Support for Chronic Conditions
According to the Centers for Disease Control, chronic illness accounts for 7 out of every 10 deaths in the United States. Ninety million people are diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions. Twenty five million suffer severe limitations due to a chronic illness. Seventy-five percent of health care costs are related to chronic illness care. Finding effective strategies to prevent and treat chronic illness care is critical. Read more.
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Art and signage reflects the cultures of the community served. |
Organizational Change
Several health systems and individual practices have begun to redesign their organizations to integrate patient- and family-centered care into the delivery of primary care. The commitment of organizational leaders, physicians, and staff and partnerships with patients and families are key to these efforts. Read more about organizations that are leading the change in primary care......