ABSTRACT
A lifestyle medicine approach to primary care that is value based can provide positive triple aim outcomes and demonstrate market equivalent reimbursement for the practitioner.
ABSTRACT
Lifestyle Medicine prescriptions are a foundational component to the practice of Lifestyle Medicine. With expanding technology, prescriptions are moving from single sheets of paper to customizable ongoing feedback that encourages continuous dialogue and feedback between patient and provider.
ABSTRACT
Lifestyle medicine group sessions present a promising approach to clinical care. Based on decades of work in shared medical appointments and group visits for diabetes and other chronic conditions, a lifestyle medicine group session has the potential to provide a fresh and rewarding way of interacting with patients that fuels the practitioner and feeds patients' needs to spend time with the lifestyle medicine practitioner, connect with him or her, connect with others, learn the latest recommendations regarding healthy habits, practice these behaviors, and discuss their obstacles, motivations, and strategies for healthy living. The lifestyle medicine group session discussed in this article is a combination of group coaching, education, and group support.
ABSTRACT
The practice of lifestyle medicine is different than typical medical practices. Reimbursement systems are strong drivers of practice models. Lifestyle Medicine Solutions (LMS) has developed a primary care lifestyle medicine practice that implements: 1) a new clinical care model, and 2) innovative reimbursement strategies. The key assumptions, care model, reimbursement model and financial partners used by LMS are discussed. To achieve the promise that lifestyle medicine brings for decreasing both the chronic disease burden and rising health care costs, new lifestyle medicine delivery models must continue to be explored and implemented. The goal is for the lifestyle medicine choice to be available to each patient and each provider.
Subject(s)
Clinical Competence , Health Behavior , Life Style , Physicians, Primary Care , Preventive Medicine , Primary Health Care , HumansABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Quality improvement and population medicine are skills that are increasingly important for physicians to possess. Methods to achieve foundational acquisition of these skills in medical school have not been well described in the past. PURPOSE: The primary goal of this project is to provide hands-on, experiential learning in full-cycle population-based care. METHODS: A description is given of a 4-week, team-based, rapid-cycle quality improvement project embedded in a required fourth-year medical school rotation. Over the course of 4 years a nonspecialty generic Ambulatory Care rotation was converted to a population-based learning rotation. For the last 3 years this rotation has required students to participate in teams of three to four students to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate a quality improvement project. RESULTS: Between 2008 and 2010 a total of 510 students completed the rotation. During this time the project component of the rotation received a 53% average rating of "excellent" or "above average." Qualitative evaluation indicates the project to be an acceptable and worthwhile educational experience for medical students, adding new insights and occasionally career-changing perspectives. CONCLUSIONS: Although experiential team-based quality improvement projects are a new format for learning in the medical school environment, it can be implemented in a format that is acceptable and beneficial to future physicians and healthcare systems.
Subject(s)
Education, Medical/organization & administration , Patient Safety , Public Health/education , Quality Assurance, Health Care/methods , Students, Medical , Ambulatory Care/organization & administration , Curriculum , Data Collection , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Expanded competencies in population health and systems-based medicine have been identified as a need for primary care physicians. Incorporating formal training in preventive medicine is one method of accomplishing this objective. METHODS: We identified three family medicine residencies that have developed formal integrated pathways for residents to also complete preventive medicine residency requirements during their training period. Although there are differences, each pathway incorporates a structured approach to dual residency training and includes formal curriculum that expands resident competencies in population health and systems-based medicine. RESULTS: A total of 26 graduates have completed the formally combined family and preventive medicine residencies. All are board certified in family medicine, and 22 are board certified in preventive medicine. Graduates work in a variety of academic, quality improvement, community, and international settings utilizing their clinical skills as well as their population medicine competencies. Dual training has been beneficial in job acquisition and satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporation of formal preventive medicine training into family medicine education is a viable way to use a structured format to expand competencies in population medicine for primary care physicians. This type of training, or modifications of it, should be part of the debate in primary care residency redesign.
