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The Harvard Medical School Academic Innovations Collaborative: transforming primary care practice and education.
Asaf Bitton1, Andrew Ellner, Erika Pabo
1Dr. Bitton is associate physician and assistant professor of medicine, Division of General Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and faculty lead for transformation strategy and design, Center for Primary Care, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Ellner is associate physician and assistant professor of medicine, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and codirector, Center for Primary Care, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Pabo is a postgraduate year 3 resident, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and clinical fellow in medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Stout is vice president of patient centered medical home development, Cambridge Health Alliance, instructor in medicine, and director, Academic Innovations Collaborative Leadership Academy, Center for Primary Care, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Sugarman is president and CEO, Qualis Health and Clinical Professor, Departments of Family Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Ms. Sevin is director, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Goodell is director, Innovation in Medical Education, and clinical instructor, Population Medicine, Center for Primary Care, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Ms. Bassett is executive director, Center for Primary Care, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Phillips is director, Center for Primary Care, and William S. Applebaum Professor of Medicine and Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Academic medical centers (AMCs) can transform primary care through the Academic Innovations Collaborative (AIC). This program engaged trainees and improved practice performance, showing promise for broader health system changes.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Medical Education
- Primary Care Transformation
Background:
- Academic medical centers (AMCs) require innovative strategies for high-quality, low-cost care delivery.
- Engaging medical trainees in primary care practice is essential for future healthcare delivery.
- There is a need to enhance the functionality of primary care practices within AMCs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and evaluate the Academic Innovations Collaborative (AIC) model for transforming primary care education and practice within AMCs.
- To foster the development of highly functional primary care teams capable of population management and patient engagement.
- To integrate trainees into primary care settings to improve both education and practice.
Main Methods:
- The Academic Innovations Collaborative (AIC) was a two-year learning collaborative involving 19 primary care practices across six AMCs.
- It utilized foundational elements such as leadership development, rapid-cycle process improvement, and team-based care for defined patient populations.
- The program included annual learning sessions, practice coaches, data reporting, webinars, and site visits for nearly 260,000 patients and 450 resident learners.
Main Results:
- Validated self-reports indicated substantial improvements across all targeted areas of practice transformation.
- Key success factors included dedicated leadership development, adequate practice-level resources, and effective engagement of patients and trainees.
- The collaborative successfully involved numerous practices, patients, and resident learners in quality improvement initiatives.
Conclusions:
- The AIC model demonstrates potential for AMCs to drive health system transformation via primary care enhancement.
- Further evaluation of practice transformation impact is necessary.
- Scaling the AIC model requires sustained support from AMCs and payers for broader application.
