Journal of general internal medicine
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Despite widespread adoption of patient-centered medical home (PCMH), little is known about why practices pursue PCMH and what is needed to undergo transformation. ⋯ PCMH efforts necessitated support and assistance to frontline, on-site practice leaders leading care delivery changes. Such change efforts should include financial incentives (e.g., direct payment or additional reimbursement), leadership direction and support, and internal or external staff with experience with the PCMH application process, implementation changes, and QI expertise in monitoring process and outcome data. Policies that recognize and meet the needs of on-site practice leaders will better promote primary care practice transformation and move practices further toward their PCMH transformation goals.
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The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected over 5 million United States (US) residents resulting in more than 180,000 deaths by August 2020. To mitigate transmission, most states ordered shelter-in-place orders in March and reopening strategies varied. ⋯ Additional mitigation measures such as mask use counteract the potential growth in COVID-19 cases and deaths due to reopening businesses. This study contributes to the growing evidence that mask usage is essential for mitigating community transmission of COVID-19. States should delay further reopening until mask mandates are fully implemented, and enforcement by local businesses will be critical for preventing potential future closures.
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Observational Study
Opioid Discontinuation Among Patients Receiving High-Dose Long-Term Opioid Therapy in the Veterans Health Administration.
Prior opioid discontinuation studies have focused on one of two characteristics of opioid prescribing, its duration (long term vs not) or dosage (high vs low). Questions remain about the experience of patients with high-dose, long-term opioid therapy (HLOT) prescriptions who are likely to be at the highest risk for adverse events. ⋯ Prevalence of patients receiving HLOT in the VHA decreased as the incidence of discontinuation increased. Further research is needed to understand the process by which patients are discontinued and to assess the relationship between discontinuation and health outcomes.
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Editorial
Utilizing Lean Leadership Principles to Build an Academic Primary Care Practice of the Future.
This Perspective presents a case study of multidimensional clinical transformation in an academic general internal medicine practice. In the face of increasing internal and external pressures, health systems and individual medical practices have pursued multiple strategies to improve quality, patient experience, and efficiency, while reducing staff and provider stress and burnout. We describe a Lean-informed approach that emphasizes the importance of organizational alignment in goals, evidence-based problem solving, and leadership behaviors to support a culture of continuous improvement. Our aim in this Perspective is to provide a real-world example of a feasible process for the planning, preparation, and execution of effective transformation, and to present lessons that may be useful to other academic health center practices seeking to develop innovative models to achieve the quadruple aim.