The 10 building blocks of high-performing primary care

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Primary Care Medicine
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Studying exemplar patient-centered primary care practices informed this work.
• Assisting practices in patient-centered transformations highlighted key elements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To formulate the essential elements of high-performing primary care.
• To present a model for improving primary care delivery.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of innovative thinking transforming primary care in the U.S.
• Identification of foundational and implementation building blocks.

Main Results:

• The 10 building blocks of high-performing primary care were formulated.
• Four foundational blocks (leadership, data, empanelment, team care) support six implementation blocks (partnership, population management, continuity, access, comprehensiveness, coordination, future template).

Conclusions:

• The 10 building blocks describe existing high-performing primary care practices.
• This model provides a framework for practices seeking improvement.