Medical home components associated with self-reported improvements in delivery of patient-centered care in VA primary care

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study describes the relationship between medical home components in the VA Patient-Aligned Care Team (PACT) initiative and personnel-reported improvements in care, and the variation of this relationship across primary care occupations. DESIGN: Data are drawn from the 2012 PACT Primary Care Personnel Survey, a nationwide survey of VA primary care personnel. METHODS: The associations between PACT components and personnel-reported improvement in care are investigated using chi-square tests for the 4,819 survey respondents in occupations comprising the core care team. RESULTS: There is largely a positive association between the level of implementation of PACT medical home components and personnel-reported improvements in patient-centered care with some important variation by occupation. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care personnel in different occupations perceive quality and medical home components differently. PACT components associated with perceived improvements in care in this study may represent valuable areas of focus for PCMH evaluation efforts and targeted medical home improvements.