Patient-centered care network to add 20 new practices this year

The Rhode Island Chronic Care Sustainability Initiative will add 20 new practices this year to its network of patient-centered medical homes, the organization announced Monday. Above, CSI-RI management staff from left to right: Catherine Sampson, project coordinator; Susanne Campbell, senior project
manager; Dr. Peter
The Rhode Island Chronic Care Sustainability Initiative will add 20 new practices this year to its network of patient-centered medical homes, the organization announced Monday. Above, CSI-RI management staff from left to right: Catherine Sampson, project coordinator; Susanne Campbell, senior project manager; Dr. Peter "Pano" M. Yeracaris, co-director; Michael Mobilio, project coordinator; Debra Hurwitz co-director; Hannah Oakley Hakim, project coordinator. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND CHRONIC CARE SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Chronic Care Sustainability Initiative, which operates patient-centered primary care practices throughout the state, has announced plans to add 20 additional practices this year, bringing care to as many as 100,000 more Rhode Islanders.

CSI-RI launched its first five pilot sites in 2008. Since then, the organization has expanded its initiative to include 36 primary care practices serving more than 220,000 Rhode Islanders, with a total of 48 locations and 303 individual providers.

“The increased demand we’ve seen for this model of primary care, paired with new data demonstrating its success, tells us that we can truly change health care,” said Dr. Kathleen C. Hittner, Rhode Island’s health insurance commissioner and co-chair of the CSI-RI Executive Committee. “We look forward to supporting more practices as they transform into patient-centered medical homes, and continuing to serve as a primary care reform model across Rhode Island and other states.”

CSI-RI promotes the patient-centered medical home, a model of primary care that aims to help primary care practices improve care quality, access and management, so patients can meet with their care providers based on their specific needs and better learn how to manage their own care. Such patient-centered practices use innovative tools such as electronic medical records and patient portals to improve communication between patients and providers.

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In coordination with the announcement Tuesday that CSI-RI will expand its network of primary care practices in the state, the organization released 2013 data highlighting the successes of its patient-centered model. According to the report, CSI-RI practices saw reduced inpatient hospitalization last year, while nonpatient-centered practices experienced an increase. In addition, 81 percent of CSI-RI practices have achieved recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, which sets standards for primary care practices to use in organizing care around patients and coordinating and tracking care over time.

CSI-RI is supported by funding from public and private payers in the state, along with grant funding from government and nongovernmental sources. The administration of the project is supported through the Rhode Island Foundation.

“Increasing Rhode Islander’s access to high-quality primary care is a significant step toward advancing our state’s health care system,” said Neil D. Steinberg, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation. “This initiative is helping do just that. CSI-RI brings everyone together – providers, insurers and patients – to focus on prevention, wellness and treatment. We look forward to seeing more practices adopt this successful model of care in the coming months.”

CSI-RI on Monday also announced the launch of PCMH-Kids, a Rhode Island patient-centered medical home initiative focused on pediatrics, built off of the success of CSI-RI. PCMH-Kids is now beginning the selection process for the inaugural 10 practices to join this initiative, the organization said.

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  1. Curious question: After all the money you put into the program (including claim payments, patient management fees paid by public and private payers, additional nurses hired, fees paid to organizations like NCQA), how much money did it actually save?