Multipayer primary care transformation: impact for Medicaid managed care beneficiaries.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of Michigan Primary Care Transformation (MiPCT), a statewide multipayer patient-centered medical home (PCMH) demonstration in 2012-2015, on cost, utilization, and quality among Medicaid managed care beneficiaries.

Study Design: Observational longitudinal study with comparison groups.

Methods: Difference-in-differences (DID) analyses compared changes in outcomes among beneficiaries whose primary care providers participated in MiPCT, non-MiPCT PCMH, and non-PCMH practices.

Primary Care Tracks in Medical Schools.

Introduction: With the estimated future shortage of primary care physicians there is a need to recruit more medical students into family medicine. Longitudinal programs or primary care tracks in medical schools have been shown to successfully recruit students into primary care. The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of primary care tracks in departments of family medicine.

Impact of the 340B Pharmacy Program on Services and Supports for Persons Served by Hemophilia Treatment Centers in the United States.

Purpose Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs) provide integrated and comprehensive services to individuals affected with rare bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia and Von Willebrand disease. Through the 340 Drug Pricing Program, HTCs may use pharmacy income to support clinical staff and patient services. The objective of this study was to describe the impact of the 340B program funding on services and support provided by HTCs to persons affected by rare bleeding disorders.

Physician and Staff Acceptance of Care Managers in Primary Care Offices.

Introduction: Embedded care managers are increasingly implemented as part of the care team within primary care practices, yet previous studies have indicated variability in acceptance by physicians and staff. This study assesses the acceptability of care managers among staff and physicians within the Michigan Primary Care Transformation (MiPCT) demonstration.

Methods: Care manager acceptance was measured using a web-based survey distributed to practices participating in the MiPCT demonstration.

Family medicine training in China.

In 2010, six ministries of the Chinese government jointly issued a plan for building team-based primary care led by family physicians, prompting the creation of new models of family medicine training across the country. The purpose of this paper is to describe examples of existing family physician training models in China, to present advantages and disadvantages of the various models, and to present a specific model of family medicine residency training implemented at the Zhejiang University Medical School-affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital in collaboration with the Michigan State University-affiliated Genesys Regional Medical Center.

Evaluation of patient centered medical home practice transformation initiatives.

Background: The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has become a widely cited solution to the deficiencies in primary care delivery in the United States. To achieve the magnitude of change being called for in primary care, quality improvement interventions must focus on whole-system redesign, and not just isolated parts of medical practices.

Methods: Investigators participating in 9 different evaluations of Patient Centered Medical Home implementation shared experiences, methodological strategies, and evaluation challenges for evaluating primary care practice redesign.

Evaluating the tools used to assess the medical home.

Purpose: The patient-centered medical home is evolving as an approach to providing primary care. Primary care is defined by four main characteristics: comprehensive, coordinated, continuous, and accessible care, all of which are measurable. This analysis identifies tools for determining whether a patient-centered medical home achieves high level primary care.