Putting knowledge into practice.
With news of breakthroughs in care emerging daily, medicine is constantly evolving. Yet studies show that only half of American patients receive the recommended treatment for their condition. The latest preventive knowledge doesn’t always reach the right people.

“More than 57,000 people will die this year because there is a huge gap between what we know and what we do.”
—Margaret O’Kane, President, National Committee for Quality Assurance, September, 2003

There is a way to turn great breakthroughs into better results. And it’s being done everyday at Accountable Physician Practices.

When teams of doctors and health professionals work in a collaborative environment, it becomes easier to realize the latest advances. Doctors are encouraged to share experiences, are provided with feedback on their practices, and use advanced care management tools such as drug reminders, disease registries, and case management. Patients benefit from faster referrals and the peace of mind that comes from knowing they are receiving the most proven preventive information and medical treatment.

• The Group Health Heart Protection Study Implementation has shown how coordinated care can accelerate improvements in patient treatment. In July 2002, a new study on the heart was published. By November, a group-wide implementation plan was put in place. By June 2003, less than a year after the study, there was a 20% increase in the number of at-risk patients on medication. By comparison, some estimate that the dissemination of innovation in medical care takes an average of 17 years. In addition, implementing the recommendations would prevent an estimated 750 heart attacks and revascularizations and save approximately $5 million dollars.

• Thanks to a coordinated approach to managing major risk factors and rehabilitation, Kaiser Permanente heart disease rates dropped so quickly that it is no longer the leading cause of death among its patients. Adjusting for age and gender, death from heart disease is more than 30 percent lower in the Kaiser patient population than in the non-Kaiser population in California. Kaiser is now making available its lifesaving "Healthy Heart" program information to all California physicians and the general public.

We have the knowledge. Together, we can make health care work better.

Integrating Services for Low-Income Seniors Shows Health Care Benefit, by Claire Sowerbutt, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today, December 11, 2007.

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 11 -- For low-income seniors, the likelihood of providing the recommended standard of health care services could be enhanced by integrating home-based and institutional services, found researchers here.

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“From High Tech to Soft Touch: The Everett Clinic uses innovative ways to control health care costs,” by Bryan Corliss, Washington CEO, November 26, 2007.

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“CAPP’s 35 MSMGs [multispecialty medical groups] share a common vision as learning organizations dedicated to the improvement of clinical care. Their features include physician leadership and governance; commitment to evidence-based care management processes; well-developed quality improvement systems; team-based care; the use of advance clinical information technology; and the collection, analysis, and distribution of clinical performance information. These features are congruent with the [Institute of Medicine’s] recommendations on key elements needed to redesign delivery systems.”

From Chapter 5, “Developing the Test Bed—Linking Integrated Service Delivery Systems: Council of Accountable Physician Practices,” by Michael A. Mustile, MD. The Learning Healthcare System: Workshop Summary (IOM Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine), edited by LeighAnne Olsen, Dara Aisner, and J. Michael McGinnis, National Academies Press, 2007.

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“A shift from the current care model to a more coordinated care model centered on primary care is one potential way to help stave off the healthcare dilemma.”

“It's too expensive to be a primary-care doctor,” by Debra A. Geihsler, president and CEO of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates & Atrius Health. Boston Globe, July 25, 2007.

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