WARWICK – As more primary care practices in Rhode Island adopt the patient-centered medical home model of primary care, the role of the “primary care team” continues to evolve. To discuss and shape the details of that evolution, 300 Rhode Island primary care team members – including providers, nurse care managers, social workers, psychologists and medical assistants – recently attended a Learning Collaborative, hosted by the Rhode Island Chronic Care Sustainability Initiative, in Warwick to discuss the future of primary care.
From integrating behavioral health to discovering new strategies for reducing avoidable emergency room visits, the Learning Collaborative, “The Primary Care Team – The Future is Now,” featured experts from Rhode Island and around the country who discussed the changing industry, giving local providers an opportunity to address challenges, share best practices and focus on the important and growing role care teams play in patient-centered primary care.
“Learning opportunities like this help provide our care teams with new ideas and ways to approach primary care issues that are continuously changing and to assist patients with better managing their health,” said Debra Hurwitz, co-director of CSI-RI.
In CSI-RI’s 48 patient-centered medical home practice sites, primary care teams at each practice are established and work together to meet individual patient care needs. A patient who frequently visits the emergency room, for example, may be supported by a care team that consists of the primary care physician, a nurse care manager, a medical assistant, psychologist, social worker and peer navigator. As a patient’s care needs change, ideally so does the care team.
“With a coordinated focus on a successful statewide primary care reform initiative, CSI-RI, paired with opportunities to collaborate and learn from each other, I know that we can make powerful, sustainable change,” said Health Insurance Commissioner Kathleen C. Hittner. “As primary care practices work to better meet patient needs and improve quality, patient experience and reduce costs, practices need the talents of an effective care team. That’s exactly why this learning opportunity is so important.”
