Project ECHO Integrated Within the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN).

Two key advancements in improving the quality of primary care have been practice-based research networks (PBRNs) and Project Extension for Community Health care Outcomes (ECHO). PBRNs advance quality through research and transformation projects, often using practice facilitation. Project ECHO uses case-based telementoring to support community clinicians to deliver best-practice care. Although some PBRNs sponsor ECHO programs, the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN) has created a statewide network for ECHO programs (Oregon ECHO Network [OEN]). We facilitated a unique funding stream for the OEN by partnering with payers and health systems. The purpose of this article is to share our experience of how OEN programs and ORPRN research and transformation projects enhance practice recruitment and retention and improve financial stability. We describe the synergy between ORPRN projects and ECHO programs using 3 examples: tobacco cessation, chronic pain and opioid prescribing, and diabetes management. We highlight challenges and opportunities in these examples, beginning with their development, their implementation, and their ultimate alignment, despite varied funding streams and timelines. We believe that incorporating the OEN within ORPRN has been a success for both PBRN research and Project ECHO programs, allowing us to better support primary care practices across the state.

Using an electronic prescribing system to ensure accurate medication lists in a large multidisciplinary medical group.

BACKGROUND: Although medication safety has largely focused on reducing medication errors in hospitals, the scope of adverse drug events in the outpatient setting is immense. A fundamental problem occurs when a clinician lacks immediate access to an accurate list of the medications that a patient is taking. Since 2001, PeaceHealth Medical Group (PHMG), a multispecialty physician group, has been using an electronic prescribing system that includes medication-interaction warnings and allergy checks. Yet, most practitioners recognized the remaining potential for error, especially because there was no assurance regarding the accuracy of information on the electronic medical record (EMR)-generated medication list. PeaceHealth developed and implemented a standardized approach to (1) review and reconcile the medication list for every patient at each office visit and (2) report on the results obtained within the PHMG clinics. METHODS: In 2005, PeaceHealth established the ambulatory medication reconciliation project to develop a reliable, efficient process for maintaining accurate patient medication lists. Each of PeaceHealth's five regions created a medication reconciliation task force to redesign its clinical practice, incorporating the systemwide aims and agreed-on key process components for every ambulatory visit. RESULTS: Implementation of the medication reconciliation process at the PHMG clinics resulted in a substantial increase in the number of accurate medication lists, with fewer discrepancies between what the patient is actually taking and what is recorded in the EMR. DISCUSSION: The PeaceHealth focus on patient safety, and particularly the reduction of medication errors, has involved a standardized approach for reviewing and reconciling medication lists for every patient visiting a physician office. The standardized processes can be replicated at other ambulatory clinics-whether or not electronic tools are available.