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Best practice presentations continue to inspire
This is the second in a two-part series on the best practice presentations featured at the most recent Physician Group Incentive Program meeting.
Diabetic group practice visits — Advantage Health Physicians
Fredric Reyelts, M.D., knew he wanted to provide some additional support to his 130 diabetic patients, but recognized he was already working at peak capacity.
The solution? Diabetic group visits.
Currently, patients are invited to participate in three group sessions per year and also are scheduled for one comprehensive individual exam yearly. Approximately 12 patients participate in each two-hour group visit.
In launching the initiative three years ago, Reyelts reached out to community resources to identify health care practitioners, including pharmacists, dieticians and physical therapists, who would be willing to participate in the visits. He also assembled members of his office staff, including the patient coordinator, nurses and medical assistants, and assigned them key roles to ensure coordinated care.
Two weeks prior to each group session, staff members complete a series of pre-visit tasks, such as identifying any lab work or tests the patients need and working with them to complete diabetes treatment plans. Patients also receive a follow-up phone call one to two weeks after the visit to discuss self-management goals or any changes made to the treatment plan.
“This is a multi-disciplinary approach to diabetes care that provides an at-a-glace worksheet for the provider and a written outline for the patient,” Reyelts said.
The results?
Reyelts has found that his patients with diabetes are now better informed and more motivated to take steps to improve their health. What’s more, he’s witnessed improved health outcomes, as measured by several key indicators, including cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Redesigning an organization — Children’s Medical Group of Saginaw Bay
Team members from Children’s Medical Group of Saginaw Bay were among the presenters at the latest PGIP best practices session. From left are Jeffrey Van Gelderen, M.D.; Lori Bowker, R.N., nurse manager; Melissa Hatfield, front desk staff; and Jewell Bedell, billing manager.
“We got our time back!”
That was the enthusiastic response from staff members following an organizational redesign that Children’s Medical Group of Saginaw Bay launched early last year.
The redesign has not only helped physicians and staff members save time, it has also helped to identify and fix problems, improve employee morale and build a sustainable management system.
Key to the success of their efforts was developing an effective strategy for change.
“Everyone wants to resist change; it’s only natural,” said Lori Bowker, R.N., the nurse manager. “Making these changes was like learning a whole new language.”
The team’s mantra became “Fix the foundation first.” In other words, they focused on fixing the foundational elements upon which the rest of the system was built. This made it easier to provide care and kept the team focused and engaged.
Children’s Medical Group began their efforts by analyzing operations by function and developing a responsibility matrix that clearly outlined the roles staff members would play in the redesigned process.
They also developed a team empowerment matrix as a tool to score management and team member behavior in terms of the support they provide other team members and their communication efforts. The matrix was designed to correct behavior in a non-threatening way, according to Jeffrey Van Gelderen, M.D.
“All employees now understand the big picture and how their actions impact other groups,” he said. “Providers spend less time on personnel issues and teams understand what is within their span of control. Employee morale has never been higher.”
For more information
The PowerPoint presentations from the best practice sessions are posted in the PGIP section of bcbsm.com.
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