Leveraging National Reports to Transform Ambulatory Care Practice.

Multiple national reports identify actionable recommendations to transform education and practice to meet the needs of health care and healthcare delivery beyond the hospital walls. The Josiah Macy Jr. Conference (2016) focused on transforming primary care and changing healthcare culture to support expansion of roles for registered nurses (RNs). Partnerships between academia and clinical practice are critical to expanding learning opportunities beyond traditional acute care settings. Development of primary care expertise in nursing faculty and adjunct faculty, in collaboration with primary care and ambulatory care nursing leaders, is essential. Academic-practice partnerships must advocate for removing regulatory and practice barriers to allow RNs to practice to the full scope of education and training. Recommendations from national reports extend beyond enhanced roles in primary care practice and have global implications for all RNs practicing in ambulatory care.

Patient-centered care in a medical home.

There is general consensus that our current healthcare delivery system will not be able to supply an adequate workforce, contain costs, and meet the ever-increasing chronic-care needs of the growing and aging population in the United States (US). Some of the major challenges to the U.S. healthcare system are faced by those on the front lines, namely the healthcare workers in primary care. Part of the emerging solution for primary care is the adoption of the Patient-Centered Medical Home Model. The intent of this model is to provide coordinated and comprehensive care rooted in a strong collaborative relationship. Carilion Clinic in Southwestern Virginia is implementing this patient-centered model in which a proactive, multidisciplinary care team collectively takes responsibility for each patient. In this article we will elaborate on the concepts of patient-centered care and patient-centered medical homes, after which we will offer an exemplar describing the process that Carilion Clinic is using to establish patient-centered medical homes throughout their primary care departments. Limitations of the Patient-Centered Medical Home Model will also be discussed.