Patient experience during a large primary care practice transformation initiative.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Primary Care Transformation
• Patient Experience Measurement

Background:

• The Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative aimed to transform primary care delivery.
• Understanding the impact of such initiatives on patient experience is crucial for healthcare quality improvement.
• Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries represent a significant population whose experiences are vital to assess.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of the multipayer Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative on patient experience.
• To compare patient experience in CPC practices versus comparison practices over time.
• To identify areas for future improvement in patient experience within primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study utilizing two cross-sectional samples of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries.
• Analysis of patient experience using the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Clinician and Group survey with Patient-Centered Medical Home items.
• Regression-adjusted analysis comparing patient ratings of care over time and between CPC and comparison practices.

Main Results:

• Patient experience ratings were generally comparable between CPC and comparison practices throughout the initiative.
• The CPC initiative showed favorable effects on follow-up care after hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
• No significant overall alteration in patient experience was observed due to practice transformation.

Conclusions:

• Practice transformation within the CPC initiative did not lead to a significant change in overall patient experience.
• The findings raise important questions regarding the effectiveness of current primary care transformation efforts in improving patient experience.
• Future strategies are needed to enhance the impact of primary care initiatives on patient-reported outcomes.