Enhancing the Primary Care Team to Provide Redesigned Care: The Roles of Practice Facilitators and Care Managers

Enhancing the Primary Care Team to Provide Redesigned Care: The Roles of Practice Facilitators and Care Managers

Practice Facilitators and Case Managers Can Help Enhance the Primary Care Team

Efforts to redesign primary care require multiple supports. Two potential members of the primary care team -- the practice facilitator and care manager -- play distinct roles in redesigning and improving care delivery, according to a new AHRQ study. Facilitators, also known as quality improvement coaches, help coordinate practices’ quality improvement activities and build capacity for those activities. Care managers coordinate care and help patients navigate the system, improving access and overall communication. These complementary roles are examined in detail in “Enhancing the Primary Care Team to Provide Redesigned Care: The Roles of Practice Facilitators and Care Managers,” which appears in the January/February online issue of Annals of Family Medicine. Select to access the article.

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 Enhancing the Primary Care Team to Provide Redesigned Care: The Roles of Practice Facilitators and Care Managers

Enhancing the Primary Care Team to Provide Redesigned Care: The Roles of Practice Facilitators and Care Managers

1. Erin Fries Taylor, PhD¹⇓,
2. Rachel M. Machta¹,
3. David S. Meyers, MD²,
4. Janice Genevro, PhD, MSW² and
5. Deborah N. Peikes, PhD¹

+ Author Affiliations

1. ¹Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, Washington, DC
2. ²Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, US Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland

1. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Erin Fries Taylor, PhD, Mathematica Policy Research 1100 First St NE, 12th Floor Washington DC 20002 etaylor@mathematica-mpr.com

 

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Abstract

ABSTRACT

Efforts to redesign primary care require multiple supports. Two potential members of the primary care team—practice facilitator and care manager—can play important but distinct roles in redesigning and improving care delivery. Facilitators, also known as quality improvement coaches, assist practices with coordinating their quality improvement activities and help build capacity for those activities—reflecting a systems-level approach to improving quality, safety, and implementation of evidence-based practices. Care managers provide direct patient care by coordinating care and helping patients navigate the system, improving access for patients, and communicating across the care team. These complementary roles aim to help primary care practices deliver coordinated, accessible, comprehensive, and patient-centered care.

Key Words

• care coordination
• practice facilitation
• primary care
• patient-centered care
• quality improvement