Community-Academic Partnership to strengthen workforce to reduce health disparities in underserved communities through continuing education

Rush University Medical Center is partnering with Medical Home Network (MHN) and Malcolm X College (MXC) with funding from BMO Harris Bank to develop continuing education programs for clinicians and allied health professionals working in underserved communities on Chicago’s West and South Sides. The goal is to prepare providers to work in new models of care provided through inter-professional teams and to deliver population-based, data-driven care. A foundational component  is effective communication by teaching Motivational Interviewing (MI) to address gaps in training for care team members at different job levels. The training delivered at individual MHN clinic sites is based on theory, application, and role playing that care management team could use to guide a patient to more effectively meet their health care goals. MI is a key component for providers as healthcare moves from acute, office-based care to population-based care and is designed to benefit the community by empowering patients’ to manage their own health and positively impacting healthcare utilization. A multifaceted approach is used to evaluate the effectiveness of MI through appointment completion rates, no-show rates, 7-day and 30-day primary care physician (PCP) follow-up appointments, medication compliance, medication refill, emergency room visits, and patient satisfaction. New advanced technology and simulation techniques are utilized for booster sessions and to measure effectiveness of MI training while maintaining patient confidentiality.  A unique aspect of this training is commitment to ongoing evaluation to understand and address barriers in a timely fashion.