Congratulations to the faculty and staff of the Barre Family Health Center, which is profiled as an example of practice transformation in the recent NCQA publication entitled Quality Profiles: The Patient Centered Medical Home." Read the article!
 
                     
                     PCMH Update at the Barre Family Health Center

                                                     
Improving Outcomes in the PCMH  
 

                                           by Kosta Deligiannides, MD, MPH

 
As part of our ongoing transformation to a patient-centered medical home, our health center is undertaking a number of quality improvement projects this year. In our monthly Quality Improvement committee meetings, we are taking a new approach. We are pairing second and third year residents

in each pod, to tackle a specific project aimed at improving our quality indicators.

In the blue pod, Drs. Blumhofer and Davidson are working on improving our rates of cervical cancer screening. Drs. Sahd and Hayden are improving gonorrhea and chlamydia screening in the green pod. Drs. Cersosimo and Boucher are improving breast cancer screening in the purple pod. Drs. Cornelio and Chang are working on colon cancer screening.

Each team includes not only the residents but staff from the pods to pilot approaches in their pods. Following successful PDSA cycles the strategies are then spread to other areas of the health center. In addition, Dr. Trotter, the Behavioral Science Fellow, is working on improving our approach to
patients with depression.

Quarterly full staff meetings are used to disseminate the plans and progress of the projects with discussion led by the residents. During monthly QI committee meetings, we talk about QI concepts (such as goal and measure setting, PDSA cycles and process mapping), and the residents are work on the IHI Open School modules in order to receive certification by graduation.

It's a pleasure to see residents tackling QI projects and learning about QI, as they will no doubt use these skills in their future work settings, wherever they may be, to lead change and health care improvement.

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                   PCMH Patient Advisory Council & Volunteer Update 
                                      By Susan Begley, Ambulatory Manager                   

As part of our PCMH/NCQA Level 3 certification, we have developed a very dynamic and engaged group of patients, staff and providers, which make up the Patient Advisory Council (PAC), lead by Cynthia Jeremiah, M.D. and Alice LeBlanc, our Clinical Care Manager at the BFHC.

In a short time, we have been able to make several improvements with our processes and workflows on our telephones and in the registration and check out areas.

Our continued focus on better communication in the health center and throughout the local community has led us to another project. The PAC is excited about writing their first informational column in the Barre Gazette, which will help inform the community about work being done by the group.

We are still in the development stages of our new patient packets that will notify newcomers about the Barre FHC and our next project is looking toward forming an Alzheimer's support group for families and caregivers.

Our 27 volunteers who work at the information desk are a wonderful addition to the "hometown" 
feeling we have here in Barre! Their smiling faces provide the greeting we want our patients and guests
to receive when they arrive at our facility! 

 
Patient Advisory Council meeting in Barre