How team-based primary care models can improve patient care outcomes

August 3, 2017

Leona Rajaee

How team-based primary care models can improve patient care outcomes August 3, 2017

A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal came to the conclusion that team-based primary care models lead to better patient outcomes.

Researchers at McGill University in Montreal studied data involving 620,000 admissions, including more than 312,000 older or chronically ill patients that were admitted to hospitals between November 2002 and January 2009 and were enrolled in team-based or traditional primary care practices.

According to the study, team-based primary care models did not significantly affect 90-day readmission rates, but patients enrolled in those practices had lower 30-day rates of emergency department visits not associated with readmission and a lower 30-day mortality.

This study reiterates how important the value of care coordination is, especially to chronically ill and older age patients. Still, there is a lack of care coordination for most patients, which can be due to doctors receiving conflicting information or not having timely access to a patient’s medical history, among many other issues.

When practices use the expertise of a variety of provider team members, their patients are more likely to get the care they need. A larger provider team can also support quality improvement with effective intra-team communication and problem-solving. However, sometimes that is not enough, to truly create improvements in care quality physicians need the tools to communicate without restrictions.

How a Clinical EHR can help

Elation understands the frustration and the necessity for better tools for physicians to use to improve care coordination. We envision to enable physicians to connect and share patient information while putting the patient’s data at the center of every interaction.

We’ve introduced these ideas into tangible parts of our Clinical EHR. Features ranging from electronic faxing and letters to DIRECT Messaging, the Elation Provider Network, and the Collaborative Health Record which all contribute to improving care coordination head-on.

Using a technology platform that deeply respects the doctor-patient relationship and how important it is, can play a significant role in not only improving care coordination but also strengthening this relationship.