These recent journal articles, selected by our team of researchers, highlight some of the effects on patients and providers of the move to coordinated care models.
Focus on Patients
Changes in Patients’ Experiences in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations New England Journal of Medicine (subscription required)
Using Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey data, researchers compared the experiences of beneficiaries in accountable care organizations (ACOs) with the experiences of beneficiaries seeing other health care providers. Researchers found that ACO patients reported improved access to care and that their primary care physicians were more informed about specialty care than those who were seeing other providers.
Focus on Providers
Patient-Centered Medical Home Implementation and Primary Care Provider Turnover Medical Care
Given the connection between organizational change and employee turnover, researchers (including those from essential hospital UW Medicine) conducted a study of primary care providers involved in the implementation of a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patient-centered medical home. The retrospective, longitudinal study of VHA-employed primary care providers covered 29 calendar quarters preimplementation and 9 quarters postimplementation. Researchers found that implementation of the model was associated with a modest increase in employee turnover and suggested that policymakers evaluate the potential effects on the workforce when patient-centered medical homes are implemented.
