RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 How Eight Primary Care Practices Initiated and Maintained Quality Monitoring and Reporting
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 360
OP 369
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2011.04.100101
VO 24
IS 4
A1 Sloane, Philip D.
A1 Wroth, Thomas
A1 Halladay, Jacquie
A1 Bray, Paul
A1 Spragens, Lynn
A1 Stearns, Sally
A1 Zimmerman, Sheryl
YR 2011
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/24/4/360.abstract
AB Background: Primary care medical practices increasingly are asked by payers, employers, and government agencies to report quality data, but the process of doing so is not well delineated.Methods: Providers and office staff in a diverse sample of eight primary care practices in North Carolina comprised this study population. Interviews were conducted and self-administered questionnaires were disseminated in practices that were successfully reporting data to one or more of 4 reporting programs. Our measures included responses to open-ended and Likert scale questions about experiences and potential facilitators and barriers, as well as subscales of the Practice Assessment tool and the Culture of Group Practices instrument.Results: Study practices had stronger change histories, higher information and quality emphases, and lower business emphases than historical comparison practices. Motivation to participate, a leader who catalyzes the process, and establishment of new systems characterized successful practices. Staff time, information technology challenges, and resistance from some providers were common barriers. Practices achieve a sustainability state when numerous barriers have been successfully overcome and tangible results achieved from the process.Conclusions: Implementing and sustaining quality reporting requires a complex set of motivators, facilitators, and strategies to overcome inherent barriers that can present themselves in practices that seek to implement changes in this direction.