One Nail at a Time: Insights for Building Your Patient's Medical Home

In this episode, we're joined by Melissa Waddell in her role as President of the Alberta Primary Care Nurses Association.  She talks about the future of nursing in primary care as we move toward a greater focus on team-based care and sharing the load to manage the care deficit.  Melissa provides some details on the current scopes of practice for Alberta nurses - particularly RNs and LPNs,  an...

In the final episode of a 3-part series on streamlining family practice, we talk to Dr. Sarah Smith about how she transformed her practice by taking control of the aspects that she could.  Listen as Dr. Smith describes how she realized that she needed to change the way she practiced, set a goal of getting home on time (and without extra work to do during evenings and weekends), and worked with her...

In part 2 of a 3-part series on streamlining family practice, we learn more about the unique 'tech forward' approach that Dr. Kelly MacGregor and her colleagues have adopted at their clinic.  While the overall approach may not suit every practice, there may be elements that family docs could consider testing in their own practices.   Listen as Dr. MacGregor describes how her clinic has a...

In part 1 of a 3-part series on streamlining family practice, we learn about the unique 'tech forward' approach that Dr. Kelly MacGregor and her colleagues have adopted at their clinic.  While the overall approach may not suit every practice, there may be elements that family docs could consider testing in their own practices.   Listen as Dr. MacGregor describes how the strategies she us...

Join us as we learn about Alberta’s new ‘Home to Hospital to Home Transitions Guideline’.  Dr. Slocombe explains the 6 components that together help patients successfully transition from home to hospital to home.  She explains the roles of primary care and acute care, and the significant positive impact this guideline can have on continuity and the patient experience.  Best of all, once establishe...

Join us as we talk to Dr. Ernie Schuster about practical strategies that physicians and clinic teams can take to provide timely access to care and optimize the opportunity for continuity of care.  Highlights include:  Specific strategies to balance your supply of appointments with the demand for them The value of eliminating ‘backlog’ for providing just-in-time care Using the medical home team to...

Join us as Dr. Karen Seigel shares the work she and her team have been doing focused on care of patients with COPD.  Some of the many highlights include: How patients with low relational continuity (<50%) are 7 times more likely to be admitted to hospital compared to those who see their own physician at least 80% of the time. How Dr. Seigel and her team used their EMR and HQCA reports to identi...

Join Dr. Heather La Borde and Dr. Brad Bahler as they discuss their mutual sense of grief and loss related to the changes and uncertainty that COVID has brought, as well as how they’re finding hope and taking steps to prevent burnout. AMA Physician and Family Support Program Well Doc Alberta Would you like to learn more? The  Alberta Medical Association and Well Doc Alberta are offering a 1.25 hou...

Join us as we hear about the experiences of community physicians who are currently participating in the Community Information Integration-Central Patient Attachment Registry (CII-CPAR) initiative.   Featuring: Dr. Joseph Ojedokun, Dr. Steve Tilley and Dr. Chris Le  CII-CPAR Primary Care Tools & Resources CII Specialty Tools & Resources Alberta Netcare Alberta Patients Survey Press Release

Join Dr. Heidi Fell as she discusses the Community Information Integration-Central Patient Attachment Registry (CII-CPAR) initiative.   CII-CPAR Primary Care Tools & Resources CII Specialty Tools & Resources Alberta Netcare Alberta Patients Survey Press Release

Dr. Rick Ward joins us again to talk about how his clinic is managing team, patient and physician wellness the during this challenging time. AMA Physician and Family Support Program Well Doc Alberta AHS COVID-19 Information for AHS Staff & Health Professionals Specialist Link COVID-19 Resources AMA Covid-19 Resource Page

A PMH Culture of Joy with Kush Badshah Joy in work is not just about reducing burnout and increasing resilience How joy impacts primary care teams and also patients Simple tips for creating a culture of joy in your clinic Be sure to check out  IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work .

Today’s podcast covers: Dr. Kim’s experience working with PCN CDM RN, Sharon Parmar, and how they worked together with patient Bill Olson to achieve great health outcomes The importance of introducing team members to patients with intention Communication strategies in a busy practice The impact and influence of care team relationships on patient engagement – a little fun goes a long way! Resources...

Dr. Janet Craig shares with us: Simple strategies for improving efficiency that lead to better access for patients The relationship between panel, continuity and access Resources: Panel Size: How Many Patients Can One Doctor Manage? This is just Part 1 of Enhanced Access!  Watch for Part 2, which will address issues like part time providers and locums. Questions? Ideas?  Leave us a comment or send...

Today’s podcast covers: Supporting patients in self-management through an inclusive team approach Use of a patient portal and ‘virtual’ patient care through secure messaging Leveraging team to optimize patient care The importance of the team ‘huddle’ – formal or informal, virtual or in person Resources: Team Huddles Guide – scroll to ‘Test Box 2: Sample Huddle Checklist’ Health Service Code 03.01S...

Today’s podcast covers: The evolution of Dr. Ward’s practice from physician-based to team-based care How a practice facilitator can support the clinic in developing team processes  How sharing the burden of complex patients can impact physician and team morale How solo practitioners can practice a type of team-based care The unexpected benefits of dealing with conflict in a team  Resources: Traini...

Today’s podcast covers: The positive effects of relational continuity of care on patients, providers and healthcare systems, according to research – including the very significant reduction in patient mortality rates How continuity ‘weaves’ through and impacts the other Patient’s Medical Home implementation elements Ideas for getting started, including conversations with patients Beyond relational...

Today’s Podcast Covers: The value of care planning with patients with complex health conditions and how it can enhance continuity of care Using the care plan document to share and receive information with other providers (e.g., pharmacist) about the patient and their conditions  Engaging the clinic team to help coordinate and manage care planning activities How care planning can lead to increased...

Today's Podcast Covers: Difference between research and QI Each person in the clinic has a part in improving Where do you start with your clinic team? Importance of measures Where do I get QI skills? Quick Links: PMH Implementation Element Graphic: http://www.topalbertadoctors.org/file/guide-to-implementation-elements-pmh.pdf IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) website: http://www.ihi....

Sit in as we discuss the opioid response with Dr. Christine Luelo. We discuss the role of primary care in Alberta’s opioid response, practical tips for primary care clinics to do this work effectively (using all of the team members), how to use non-judgmental language talking to patients and the importance of panel – knowing who your patients are. Primary Health Care Opioid Response Initiative:  h...

In this episode Dr. Brad Bahler, Director of Primary Care Evolution in Alberta, discusses his personal journey toward achieving a Patient’s Medical Home model in his clinic that was driven by dissatisfaction with traditional family practice. General PMH:  http://www.topalbertadoctors.org/change-concepts/introduction/patientsmedicalhomeinalberta Guide to PMH Implementation Elements:  http://www.top...

In this episode Dr. Lee Green, Family Physician and Health Services Researcher at the University of Alberta, discusses the international and local evidence in support of the Patient’s Medical Home model.   PMH Evidence Summary: http://www.topalbertadoctors.org/file/top--evidence-summary--benefits-of-pmh.pdf IF Training Link:  http://www.topalbertadoctors.org/events/improvementfacilitatortraining/...

In this episode Dr. Joseph Ojedokun, Family Physician, and Lacey Barendregt, Registered Nurse, talk about the Patient’s Medical Home implementation element “Patient-centered Interactions”. Changing the conversation their team has with patients has resulted in increased satisfaction in the practice and improved outcomes for patients.   PaCT website:  http://www.topalbertadoctors.org/pact/ APCC pres...

What is a Patient’s Medical Home?  Where did the concept come from?  This inaugural podcast features two of the podcast’s hosts discussing a vision of the PMH in Alberta.   General PMH:  http://www.topalbertadoctors.org/change-concepts/introduction/patientsmedicalhomeinalberta Guide to PMH Implementation Elements:  http://www.topalbertadoctors.org/file/guide-to-implementation-elements-pmh.pdf CFPC...