The “New Model of Care”

However, the news in primary care is not all bad. Despite the stresses, and perhaps in part because of them, primary care physicians have been forced to reevaluate their work and to determine its true value to those that they serve, their patients. A new focus on quality with measurable improvements in health outcomes is driving physicians and health systems to define a “New Model of Care” that is patient-centered, safe, timely, effective, equitable, and efficient.

A pioneer in this effort, Dr. Ed Wagner, M.D., has described “The Planned Care Model”. This model of care, developed with the support of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation identifies the essential elements of a health care system that encourage high-quality care. These elements are the community, the health system, self-management support, delivery system design, decision support and clinical information systems.

Family Medicine of Port Angeles has embraced the planned care model while pioneering the use of the electronic health record on the North Olympic Peninsula. We have been measuring and improving the health statistics of the thousands of patients we care for and are redesigning our clinic to continue to provide measurable improvements in care. These changes are designed to streamline the process of care while fulfilling our mission: To provide our patients with the highest quality primary care in the world.