Wellness:

Modern health care, especially for seniors, is becoming a team effort

In the wake of the Affordable Care Act, health care organizations across the nation are recognizing the importance of focusing more intently on quality of care and improved medical outcomes. For some organizations, this is a dramatic departure from the traditional, volume-based approach of yesteryear. A growing number of health care models now prioritize patient-centered, coordinated care while seeking to maximize the value provided to community members.

To meet these new goals, many organizations are beginning to embrace team-based health care, an approach in which a full team of health care providers work alongside doctors to promote successful outcomes for patients.

This approach serves as a potential solution for easing the national shortage of primary care physicians, using highly skilled nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other professionals to provide additional access for patients.

Ama Brobbey

Ama Brobbey

Rather than engaging solely with a physician during primary care visits, many patients now receive coordinated care from a larger team of health care professionals. While physicians continue to play an integral role in treating patients, this model provides additional support from a trusted team to offer a variety of valuable services to patients. In many cases, these providers are supported by professional staff and care coordinators.

Most importantly, team-based care can significantly improve quality of care, especially among senior citizens with chronic medical conditions. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, team-based care substantially increased the levels of care provided for three out of four common chronic conditions among seniors, including dementia, risk for falls and incontinence.

The study, which followed 485 patients who were older than 75, discovered that patients who saw a nurse practitioner-physician team were more likely to receive the recommended care for certain common conditions than those who saw only a physician. For instance, patients served by a physician and a nurse practitioner received 80 percent of the recommended care for fall assessments, while those treated solely by a doctor received only 34 percent of the recommended care.

This research serves to illustrate the true impact of providing patients with a coordinated team of professionals who help people receive the care they deserve. While many organizations are only beginning to embrace these changes, HealthCare Partners Nevada has successfully used this team-based approach for many years.

This collaborative approach is the cornerstone of HealthCare Partners’ Total Care Model, which provides patients with access to a coordinated team of primary care providers, specialists and other medical professionals. This coordinated, patient-centered approach includes a strong focus on preventative medicine and assisting patients with maximizing their health insurance benefits.

Beyond assisting with typical clinical matters, the Total Care Model enables a highly skilled team to work together and address any issues that impact patients’ access to health care. This is much more than simply referring a patient to a specialist. At HealthCare Partners, primary care providers work alongside a wide range of specialists, including cardiologists, oncologists, dermatologists and many others to monitor patients’ care and work collaboratively to determine the best course of action.

The implementation of readily accessible electronic health records also plays a crucial role in offering high-quality coordinated care. This provides team members with access to essential patient information, including primary care offices, urgent care centers and specialty clinics.

At HealthCare Partners, outpatient and inpatient provider teams work in tandem to ensure patients enjoy a continuum of care from the exam room to the hospital room to the comfort of their homes. In addition to managing patient appointments, HealthCare Partners’ team members also ensure screenings and immunizations are complete and correct medicines are used, decreasing out-of-pocket expenses for patients.

Patients across Nevada and the nation are expected to benefit as more health care organizations begin to implement coordinated, team-based approaches to care. HealthCare Partners serves as a primary example of the benefits, and the organization hopes to see its efforts inspire other companies to develop talented teams of health care professionals to address the needs of their patients.

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