Two Approaches to Patient-Centered Care
<p>Providing care that is tailored to patients' needs may improve the quality and effectiveness of the health care a practice offers. Two new Commonwealth Fund case studies demonstrate how two very different primary care practices--one in downtown Seattle and one in rural Wisconsin--are delivering patient-centered care in very different ways. The case studies are part of a series of 12 case studies of practice sites that scored highly on patient experience surveys.<br><br>Prepared by Dale Shaller and Susan Edgman-Levitan, the case studies feature interviews with physicians and support staff and highlight features that contribute to patient-centered care. <a href="/innovations/innovations_show.htm?doc_id=700904">The Family Medicine Practice</a> of The Polyclinic in Seattle offers a remodeled office, same-day scheduling, and customer service modeled on the famed Seattle-based department store, Nordstrom. By contrast, <a href="/innovations/innovations_show.htm?doc_id=701815">The Grant Community Clinic</a> in Cassville, Wisconsin is a small clinic with mostly part-time staff. But those staff members work as a tight-knit team that goes out of its way to meet the needs of its patients, many of whom the staff has known for years.<br><br>In an associated episode of <a href="/podcasts/">New Directions in Health Care: The Commonwealth Fund Podcast</a>, Martha Hostetter talks with staff at The Polyclinic about their commitment to personalize care.<br><br>Look for New Directions in Health Care in iTunes.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2008/aug/two-approaches-to-patient-centered-care