Special Issue of Medical Care Publishes Accomplishments of the Safety Net Medical Home Initiative
October 15, 2014
Leading Journal Releases Progress Report on Landmark Initiative to Improve Care for Vulnerable Populations
Seattle, WA – A special November supplement to the journal Medical Care presents the progress and lessons learned from the Safety Net Medical Home Initiative (SNMHI). The supplemental issue presents nine papers describing the 2008–2013 multi-state initiative that tested a replicable, sustainable implementation model to transform primary care safety net practices into patient-centered medical homes with benchmark performance in quality, efficiency and patient experience.
"For anyone seeking to transform the American healthcare system, the SNMHI experience provides important lessons to demonstrate how practice redesign can be achieved," said Jonathan Sugarman, MD, MPH, principal investigator for the SNMHI and Qualis Health President and CEO. "This initiative shows that successful implementation relies on a planned, sequenced approach, with an early focus on ensuring engaged leadership and a robust quality improvement strategy."
In an effort to improve patient care, retain high-quality primary care providers and control costs, practices across the U.S. are transforming to patient-centered medical homes. As the first national demonstration project to focus on accelerating medical home transformation in the safety net, the SNMHI provides important insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with redesigning primary care among practices serving the most vulnerable, underserved populations. The project was implemented at 65 safety net practices in Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
The supplement is now available online at http://journals.lww.com/lww-medicalcare/toc/2014/11001. The issue reports on the progress made by the participating clinics, and includes baseline and interim observations from an evaluation of the SNMHI conducted by the University of Chicago. Outcome findings are expected in 2015 and 2016. The supplemental issue was made possible with funding from The Commonwealth Fund, and features manuscripts contributed by Qualis Health, the MacColl Center for Health Care Innovation at the Group Health Research Institute, The University of Chicago, and The Commonwealth Fund. Rated as one of the top ten journals in healthcare administration, Medical Care is the official journal of the Medical Care Section of the American Public Health Association.
About the Safety Net Medical Home Initiative
The SNMHI was led by Qualis Health and the MacColl Center for Health Care Innovation, sponsored by The Commonwealth Fund, and supported by eight local funders. The SNMHI was grounded in the efforts of five regional coordinating centers and 65 safety net practice sites, and generated a freely available library of resources proven to effectively guide the transformation of primary care practices into patient-centered medical homes. The SNMHI developed, tested and refined an evidence-based framework for PCMH transformation—The Change Concepts for Practice Transformation—supported by a comprehensive library of resources and tools to help practices understand and implement the Patient-Centered Medical Home Model of Care. After extensive testing, the model and its resources have now been used effectively by primary care practices of all types, including community health centers, private practices, academic medical centers, critical access hospitals, and VA and Indian Health Service sites. All resources are free and in the public domain, and can be accessed at www.safetynetmedicalhome.org.
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