Background
The five-year Safety Net Medical Home Initiative was launched with Commonwealth Fund support in 2008 to help 65 safety-net clinics in five states become patient-centered medical homes. The project team developed a technical assistance framework to assist practices in adopting the medical home model.
What the Study Found
The components of the technical assistance framework included:- individual site-level coaching by medical home facilitators, which most sites received monthly (61%) or at least quarterly (22%);
- the creation of a learning community to help health centers interact with each other to share best practices and brainstorm;
- data monitoring and feedback on selected measures of clinical quality, transformation, patient experience, provider and staff satisfaction, and utilization;
- resources and materials, including guides, tools, and webinars; and
- small grants to fund special projects like staff training videos or patient education materials.
Conclusions
In a survey, practices indicated that peer-learning opportunities, including in-person meetings and field trips, were particularly helpful. However, gathering, reporting, and using clinical data for quality improvement remain challenges for many practices.
