Facilitating Change: Lessons from the TransforMED National Demonstration Project (Text Version)
On September 14, 2009, Elizabeth Stewart made this presentation at the 2009 Annual Conference. Select to access the PowerPoint® presentation (4.37 MB).
Slide 1
Facilitating Change: Lessons from the TransforMED National Demonstration Project
AHRQ 2009 Annual Conference
Sept. 14, 2009
Elizabeth E. Stewart, PhD
Independent Evaluation Team from Center for Research in Primary Care & Family Medicine
Slide 2
Evaluation Team
- Carlos R. Jaen, MD, PhD
- Paul A. Nutting, MD, MSPH
- Benjamin F. Crabtree, PhD
- William L. Miller, MD, MA
- Kurt C. Stange, MD, PhD
- Elizabeth E. Stewart, PhD
Slide 3
National Demonstration Project
- Two-year project intended to 'test' the new model of family medicine as outlined in the FFM report.
- AAFP provided funding; TransforMED was created to design and implement the project.
- Independent evaluation team providing mixed-methods analysis for practice & patient outcomes.
Slide 4
NDP: Background & Timeline
- 500 practices applied
- 300 usable applications
- 36 practices selected
- 18 randomized: FACILIATED
- 17 (F) practices finished
- 18 randomized: SELF-DIRECTED
- 15 (SD) practices finished
- 18 randomized: FACILIATED
NDP start: July 2006
NDP finish: June 2008
Touchstone Group Begins
Slide 5
TransforMED
An image of a map of the United States is shown. The map has Small, Solo, Medium, Large, and New Practice types labeled.
Slide 6
Real Practices. Real Stories
A number of images of groups of people are shown on the screen.
Slide 7
Implementation Assistance
Self-Directed
- List serve & website access
- 1 final NDP Learning Session
- Some $$ for self-organized retreat midway through NDP
- 6 practices/facilitator
- Access to facilitator (site visits, phone calls, emails)
- 4 NDP Learning Sessions
- Monthly conference calls
- Discounted technology
- Access to national consultants
- List serve & website access
Slide 8
Mixed Methods
QUANTITATIVE:
- Patient Health Outcomes (medical chart audits)
- Practice Finances (surveys - limited)
- Clinician/Staff Satisfaction (surveys)
- Patient Perception of Care (surveys)
- - Field notes, interviews, observations, email communication logs, conference calls, Learning Sessions, facilitator debriefs, list serve, documentation of model components.
Slide 9
Original TransforMED Model
An image of the Original TransforMED Model is shown.
Slide 10
The TransforMED Patient-Centered Model
Slide 11
A new way of thinking.
An image of an updated TransforMED Model is shown.
Slide 12
A new way of thinking.
- Transformation is more than a series of incremental changes; it requires requires epic whole practice re-imagination and redesign.
- Transformation to a PCMH requires substantial changes in the mental model of both physicians and practice staff.
- It is more than implementing sophisticated office systems. it is about adopting substantially different approaches to patient care
.
Slide 13
What helps a practice transform?
"Core Structure" - includes ability to manage basic finances, clinical & practice operations during times of stability & modest change.
"Adaptive Reserve" - ability of practice to be resilient, to bend & survive under force. Facilitates adaptation during times of dramatic change.
Slide 14
What is Adaptive Reserve?
Measured with the Clinician/Staff Questionnaire
- Anonymous questionnaire - 3x during project
- Based on validated PSQ and 'The Magnificent 7'
- Represents the perceptions of those living in the practice
89 questions total, pared down to 9 final categories through factor analysis:
- Respectful Interaction
- Learning Culture
- Reflection
- Work Environment
- Strong Leadership
- Sense making
- Diversity
- Mindfulness Communication
Slide 15
Change in Adaptive Reserve*
| Control | Facilitated | |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 71 | 70 |
| 28 months | 70 | 78 |
*Adaptive reserve includes measures of leadership, sensemaking, diversity, mindfulness, communication, respectful interaction, learning culture, reflection and general work environment. Baseline vs. 28 months for facilitated group is statistically different. (p<0.01)
Measure of Adaptive Reserve
Slide 16
The Role of Facilitation
- Consulting
- Coaching
- Facilitating Adaptive Reserve
Slide 17
Facilitation: Consultant
- Huddles & Meetings
- Workflow analysis
- Metrics, PDSA cycles
- Specific projects
HIT assistance – vendor liaison, implementation
Slide 18
Facilitation: Coach
Staff: Empowerment, task delegation
Practice Managers
- Project Mgt
- Personnel/HR
- Finances
- Communication
- Empowerment
- Support
- Leadership
- Finances
- Delegation
- Time Mgt
- Communication
- Support
Slide 19
Facilitation: Adaptive Reserve
- Staff Retreats with Pre-Work & Follow-up
- Intense Coaching
- Conflict Resolution
- Rich & Lean Communication
Facilitated Learning Sessions w/other practices
Slide 20
Patient Outcomes Surveys
- Mailed to cross-section of 120 pts/practice, 3x
- Based on multiple validated surveys and intended to measure 7 attributes of patient-centered primary care.*
- Superb Access
- Patient Engagement
- Clinical Information Systems to Support Care
- Care Coordination
- Integrated & Comprehensive Team Care
- Routine Patient Feedback to Doctors
- Publicly available information
Also assess patient enablement & patient satisfaction.
* Commonwealth Fund
Slide 21

POS Core Elements to Measure
- Patient Enablement (PEI)
- Empathetic Care (CARE)
- Comprehensive Care (CPCI)
- Accumulated Knowledge (CPCI)
- Inter Personal Com (CPCI)
- Coordinated Care (CPCI)
- Advocacy (CPCI)
- Health Promotion (ACES)
- Cultural Responsiveness
- Family Context (CPCI)
- Organizational Access
- Community Context (CPCI)
- Usual Provider Continuity (CPCI)
- Interpersonal treatment
- Recommend Doctor
- Rating of Doctor (1-10)
- Med Home (PCPE)
- Same Day Access Available
- Overall health status (1-5)
Slide 22
Self-Directed Practices: Some Decreases
| Baseline | 9 months | 28 months | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | SD | Mean | SD | Mean | SD | |
| Empathetic Care | .87 | .20 | .84** | 0.20 | .84** | .20 |
| Comprehensive Care | .84 | .16 | 0.82 | 0.16 | .81** | .15 |
| Interpersonal Com. | .81 | .18 | .78** | 0.18 | .80 | .18 |
| Advocacy | .82 | .16 | .80* | 0.16 | .80 | .16 |
| Health Promotion | .14 | .34 | .24*** | 0.34 | .16 | .31 |
Only showing core elements with significant changes from baseline:
*= p <05; ** = p <.01; *** = p <.001
Slide 23
Self-Directed Practices: Some Decreases
| Baseline | 9 months | 28 months | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | SD | Mean | SD | Mean | SD | |
| Community Context | .71 | .22 | .67** | 0.22 | .66*** | .22 |
| Interpersonal treatment | .91 | .17 | .89* | .17 | .91 | .16 |
| Recommend Doctor | .94 | .15 | .91* | .15 | .92 | .14 |
| Rating of Doctor | .91 | .15 | .88* | .15 | .88 | .15 |
| Same Day Access | .41 | .48 | .34* | .48 | .40 | .49 |
| Overall health status | 3.38 | .94 | 3.44* | .94 | 3.50* | .92 |
Only showing core elements with significant changes from baseline:
* = p<.05; ** = p <.01; *** = p <.001
Slide 24
No Significant Change in Facilitated Practices
- Facilitated practices showed relatively small, if any, changes in any of the 19 categories over time.
- Despite tremendous changes going on at the practice, the core elements of the patient experience appeared unchanged.
- This may suggest that facilitation had a buffering effect. Patients in the SD practices may have felt the chaos of change but pts in the facilitated practices did not.
Slide 25
Thank you.


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