Online Program

277450
Evaluating the implementation of the primary care home in Oregon: Community-level health reform


Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 5:30 p.m. - 5:50 p.m.

Sherril B. Gelmon, DrPH, OHSU & PSU School of Public Health, Portland State University, Portland, OR
Rachel Trotta, MPH, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University, Portland, OR
Nicole Merrithew, MPH, Office of Oregon Health Policy and Research, Oregon Health Authority, Salem, OR
Paige Hatcher, MD, MPH, Office of Oregon Health Policy and Research, Oregon Health Authority, Salem, OR
Community health planning in Oregon is designed to achieve the “Triple Aim” of better health, better care and lower costs. As part of statewide health system reform efforts, Oregon implemented the Patient-Centered Primary Care Home (PCPCH) Program, an initiative established in 2009 by the Oregon Legislature. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA), which houses the PCPCH Program, administers the application, recognition, and verification process. All PCPCH's are required to demonstrate capacity in six core attributes in order to be recognized and receive enhanced funding: access to care, accountability, comprehensive whole person care, continuity, coordination and integration, and person and family-centered care. An evaluation was designed to assess implementation by the first 205 recognized PCPCH's. One hundred and eighty-one practices responded to a web-based survey (88% response rate). The results show progress towards Oregon's goal of improving the experience of care and the efficiency of service delivery, with improved ability to reach communities demonstrated in each of the six core attributes. Evidence from this evaluation is informing OHA as it revises the PCPCH recognition standards, and expands the recognition program. This work is contributing to Oregon's health systems reform efforts, as well as to the policy process and primary care practice in communities. Early implementation of the PCPCH model of care shows progress towards Oregon's goal of achieving the “Triple Aim” of better population health, better individual care and lower costs. Thorough review of Oregon's work in improving health services in communities can have implications for policy delivery throughout the country.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Describe Oregon’s community-level health system reform strategy adapting the “Triple Aim” Explain Oregon’s implementation of the primary care home model Identify key findings from the implementation evaluation Demonstrate implications for community health improvement Discuss common practices and application in other communities and states

Keyword(s): Health Reform, Community-Oriented Primary Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the lead on this evaluation and am a public health policy teacher and researcher. I have been the lead on dozens of community-based evaluations of public health programs over the past 30 years. I am a tenured professor of public health and teach in this area, as well as studying it.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.