If We Had a Magic Wand for Primary Care

by Amy Berman


Posted in category Care Models, Chronic Disease, Grant Programs, Grantees, Health Policy
Health Reform has become a national pastime. It’s the hot topic of dinner conversation, top “tweet” in cyberspace, rant-du-jour in the blogosphere, and the focus of our policymakers even as Congress is adjourned. The public debate has focused on three core issues—cost, quality, and access—rarely accompanied by the necessary deeper dive into the causes of our current system’s woes, barriers to making change, and the all-important solutions. And yes, there are solutions.

So it was notably impressive when on August 11, 2009, the White House convened innovators from diverse health care organizations to rethink how we organize and deliver primary care, one of the nation’s top problems to be addressed within Health Reform. Nancy-Ann DeParle, the director of President Obama’s new White House Office of Health Reform, led the White House Health Care Roundtable discussion on Advanced Models of Primary Care. Click here to view the videotaped discussion.

One solution showcased at the White House Roundtable was Care Management Plus. A leading innovator of geriatric care delivery, David Dorr, MD, MS, of Oregon Health and Science University, presented the improved health outcomes and reduced costs associated with this innovative primary care model, which we funded in partnership with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Dorr and co-investigator Cherie Brunker, MD, of Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, have led more than 75 clinical teams and delivery systems around the country in the adoption of Care Management Plus.

What Does Care Management Plus Do?
Care Management Plus is a program to help primary care clinics better coordinate care for older patients with multiple health needs. Its primary components are specially developed information technology, as well as a designated case manager and an interdisciplinary care team. For one common chronic health condition, diabetes, older patients served by Care Management Plus experienced a 24% reduction in hospitalization rates, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars and avoiding likely complications. This is a win for everyone— patients, care providers, and taxpayers.


“We need to focus on improving the quality of care outcomes, making sure that we are providing preventive care and better coordinating care for patients,” said Nancy-Ann DeParle at the Roundtable. The Hartford Foundation agrees. As we seek to improve primary care, why not start by implementing proven solutions like Care Management Plus?