December Month in Review

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Message from the President and CEO

Dear Colleagues,

The season of goodwill and collaboration is upon us and, in fact, these are attributes that the PCPCC’s founding President, Dr. Paul Grundy, puts at the forefront of his efforts to transform health systems across the world. Building on his work with the PCPCC, Dr. Grundy has championed collaboration, forging consensus across stakeholder groups to elevate primary care as foundational to system reform.

More specifically, in his work with governments and healthcare leaders across the globe -- including China, Australia, Singapore, England, Ireland, and Denmark (where he is the health ambassador) -- Dr. Gundy has brought the U.S. example of multi-stakeholder collaboration and support for advanced primary care, including the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model, to drive change.

He is creating effective avenues for international leaders to interact with organizations such as the PCPCC and with each other. “It is key that we build this broad-based coalition to advocate for stronger primary care,” said Dr. Grundy. In September 2017, the European Association of Primary Care Partners (EAPCP) was formed to enable different primary care systems to work together and learn from each other. Dr. Grundy is a member of the EAPCP’s advisory committee.

A case in point. In 2017, the UK-focused National Association for Primary Care and the PCPCC met on two occasions for learning and exchange. A paper describing primary care reform efforts in England and the U.S. as well as a recent Health Affairs effort was the result. The British are interested in understanding more about the ten-year U.S. experience with the PCMH and the U.S. wants to learn from England about their efforts to integrate behavioral health at the community level.

At the end of January, Dr. Grundy will be retiring from IBM and starting a new position with HealthTeamWorks. In this role, he will lead strategies that support HealthTeamWorks’ healthcare transformation initiatives, which include fostering robust primary care. Dr. Grundy will continue to work closely with both IBM and the PCPCC and his focus will be both domestic and international health system reform.

It is not surprising that policy makers across the globe of all political persuasions are turning to Dr. Grundy for guidance and leadership. International research shows that robust primary care leads to better health systems by enhancing quality and reducing costs. “The PCPCC has been an amazing global platform of awareness for the importance of primary care and transformation,” said Dr. Grundy. He noted that he has seen PCPCC’s annual Evidence Reports at meetings around the world.

I will be speaking at a Dubai Health Authority (DHA) sponsored conference next month and talking about PCPCC’s current efforts to advance primary care. This invitation was spurred, in part, by a leader from DHA attending the PCPCC fall conference. One of my central messages will be the importance of working across multi-stakeholder groups in the U.S. and with leaders across the globe to elevate primary care as foundational to health system transformation.

Best wishes for a happy New Year and one filled with goodwill.

Kind Regards,

Ann Greiner

Ann Greiner, MCP
President & CEO

January Webinar
Oregon's Innovative Patient-Centered Primary Care Home Program

Evan Saulino, MD, PhD, a family physician at the Providence Southeast Family Medicine Clinic, will describe innovative work by the Oregon Health Authority Patient-Centered Primary Care Home Program (PCPCH). Dr. Saulino acts as the Clinical Advisor for Oregon’s PCPCH Program, which works with clinics serving over 3 million patients across Oregon.

The Oregon legislature established the PCPCH program in 2009 through passage of House Bill 2009. The goals of the program are to develop strategies to identify and measure what a primary care home does, promote their development and encourage Oregonians to seek care through recognized Patient-Centered Primary Care Homes.

Dr. Salino will also describe the new Oregon legislation, passed in July 2017, to double over a five year period the amount of money spent by all Oregon payers on primary care. These additional funds will be channeled into primary care alternative payment models.

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/356108014355908867
January 30, 2018
3:00 - 4:00 PM ET

2018 New Members and Executive Membership Recruiting/Renewal

We would like to enthusiastically welcome our new Executive Members that have signed up for 2018. They include Humana, National Coalition on Health Care, National Pace Association, Oracle Corporation, The Verden Group's Patient Centered Solutions, University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine, 4sight Health, ActiveHealth Management, ABIM Foundation, and National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health.

For those of you, who would like to become Executive Members, please don’t hesitate to email Krista Conley, COO, at kconley@pcpcc.org.

And, if you are kind enough to make a referral that leads to a new PCPCC Executive Member joining in 2018, we will be pleased to reward you with a $100 gift certificate or donation to a charity of your choosing.