In this special report, the authors argue that the current primary care team paradigm is underpowered, in that most of the administrative responsibility still falls mainly on the physician. Jobs not requiring a medical education, such as entering data into electronic health records, should not be handled by physicians and advanced practitioners. The authors propose a model where a physician with two or three highly trained "care team coordinators" share patient responsibilities, with the CTCs organizing the visit, completing documentation, and coordinating follow-up care, and the physician handling components of the visit that require more complex decision making. There is evidence that this model improves patient care, reduces physician burnout, and is financially sustainable. The authors identify a number of themes, or mindsets, such as the idea that technology can replace people, that are barriers to implementation of these models in family medicine.
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Powering-Up Primary Care Teams: Advanced Team Care With In-Room Support
Thomas Bodenheimer, MD, MPH
University of California, San Francisco
Christine A. Sinsky, MD
American Medical Association, Chicago
http://www.annfammed.org/content/17/4/367
Journal
The Annals of Family Medicine