Multipayer primary care transformation: impact for Medicaid managed care beneficiaries.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of Michigan Primary Care Transformation (MiPCT), a statewide multipayer patient-centered medical home (PCMH) demonstration in 2012-2015, on cost, utilization, and quality among Medicaid managed care beneficiaries. STUDY DESIGN: Observational longitudinal study with comparison groups. METHODS: Difference-in-differences (DID) analyses compared changes in outcomes among beneficiaries whose primary care providers participated in MiPCT, non-MiPCT PCMH, and non-PCMH practices. Net cost savings were derived. RESULTS: The study included 173,179 MiPCT, 209,181 non-MiPCT PCMH, and 148,657 non-PCMH beneficiaries. Against 1 or both comparison groups relative to 2011, MiPCT adults had significant reductions in cost, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalization risk in 2015. Against both comparison groups, MiPCT high-risk adults showed significant cost reduction in 2014-2015, ED reduction in 2015, and reduced hospitalization risk in 2013-2015. For children, no significant relative change in cost occurred, but both ED and hospitalization risk were reduced in 2015. In 2013-2015, cumulative net cost savings were $15,569,526 (95% CI, $3,416,832-$27,722,219) (return on investment [ROI], $3.60) for adults and $23,998,180 (95% CI, $11,782,031-$36,214,347) (ROI, $10.69) for high-risk adults, and a cost increase of $16,517,948 (95% CI, $7,712,286-$25,323,609) (ROI, -$1.30) for children. Quality metrics were significantly higher in MiPCT in most years, although most DID estimates were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of cost savings exists among MiPCT Medicaid managed care adults; it was driven by high-risk adults, who also had reduced hospitalization risk. For children, no cost reductions occurred, but hospital and ED utilization were reduced in 2015. MiPCT maintained equal or higher quality of care but did not show consistent improvement.

Patient Experience with the Patient-Centered Medical Home in Michigan's Statewide Multi-Payer Demonstration: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The literature on patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) and patient experience is somewhat mixed. Government and private payers are promoting multi-payer PCMH initiatives to align requirements and resources and to enhance practice transformation outcomes. To this end, the multipayer Michigan Primary Care Transformation (MiPCT) demonstration project was carried out. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the PCMH is associated with a better patient experience, and whether a mature, multi-payer PCMH demonstration is associated with even further improvement in the patient experience. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional comparison of adults attributed to MiPCT PCMH, non-participating PCMH, and non-PCMH practices, statistically controlling for potential confounders, and conducted among both general and high-risk patient samples. PARTICIPANTS: Responses came from 3893 patients in the general population and 4605 in the high-risk population (response rates of 31.8% and 34.1%, respectively). MAIN MEASURES: The Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, with PCMH supplemental questions, was administered in January and February 2015. KEY RESULTS: MiPCT general and high-risk patients reported a significantly better experience than non-PCMH patients in most domains. Adjusted mean differences were as follows: access (0.35**, 0.36***), communication (0.19*, 0.18*), and coordination (0.33**, 0.35***), respectively (on a 10-point scale, with significance indicated by: *= p<0.05, **= p<0.01, and ***= p<0.001). Adjusted mean differences in overall provider ratings were not significant. Global odds ratios were significant for the domains of self-management support (1.38**, 1.41***) and comprehensiveness (1.67***, 1.61***). Non-participating PCMH ratings fell between MiPCT and non-PCMH across all domains and populations, sometimes attaining statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: PCMH practices have more positive patient experiences across domains characteristic of advanced primary care. A mature multi-payer model has the strongest, most consistent association with a better patient experience, pointing to the need to provide consistent expectations, resources, and time for practice transformation. Our results held for a general population and a high-risk population which has much more contact with the healthcare system.

Physician and Staff Acceptance of Care Managers in Primary Care Offices.

INTRODUCTION: Embedded care managers are increasingly implemented as part of the care team within primary care practices, yet previous studies have indicated variability in acceptance by physicians and staff. This study assesses the acceptability of care managers among staff and physicians within the Michigan Primary Care Transformation (MiPCT) demonstration. METHODS: Care manager acceptance was measured using a web-based survey distributed to practices participating in the MiPCT demonstration. RESULTS: Both physicians and staff reported high levels of care manager acceptance. Longer length of care manager employment at the practice, higher care manager FTE dedicated to care management, and care manager employed by practice were all significantly associated with care manager acceptance. DISCUSSION: The MiPCT demonstration found high care manager acceptance across all care team members. The high level of acceptance may be due to the structures and processes developed by MiPCT to support implementation of care managers and the length of the intervention period. CONCLUSION: The MiPCT demonstration confirms that following three years of implementation, embedded care managers are acceptable to both physicians and staff within primary care practices. Importantly, embeddedness, or the amount of time care managers are located within practices, is associated with increased acceptance.

A Systems Approach to Improving Tdap Immunization Within 5 Community-Based Family Practice Settings: Working Differently (and Better) by Transforming the Structure and Process of Care.

OBJECTIVES: We examined how family medicine clinic physicians and staff worked in collaborative teams to implement an automated clinical reminder to improve tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) booster vaccine administration and documentation. METHODS: A clinical reminder was developed at 5 University of Michigan family medicine clinics to identify patients 11 to 64 years old who were in need of the Tdap booster vaccine. Quality improvement cycles were used to improve clinic care processes. Immunization rates from 2008 to 2011 were compared with rates at 4 primary care control clinics. RESULTS: Vaccination rates among eligible patients increased from 15.5% to 47.3% within the family medicine clinics and from 14.1% to 30.2% within the control clinics. After adjustment for covariates, family medicine patients had a higher probability of vaccination than control patients during each measurement period (0.17 vs 0.15 at baseline, 0.53 vs 0.22 during year 1, and 0.50 vs 0.30 during year 2). CONCLUSIONS: Automated clinical reminders, when designed and implemented via a consensus-based framework that addresses the process of care, can dramatically improve provision of preventive health care.