Primary care is in crisis nationwide as physician shortages, rising administrative burden and accompanying burnout, inadequate reimbursement and overwhelming demand outpace available resources.
Recognized for pioneering innovation, research and medical expertise, teams at Mass General Brigham (MGB) have been at work for nearly two years developing a plan to confront the growing crisis in primary care that is impacting patients throughout the United States and within our own New England region.
Through surveys and focus groups with primary care clinicians across the health system, MGB collected important feedback and data on physician wellness, administrative burden and the experience of patients who rely on MGB for their healthcare needs.
With the goals to better understand challenges and improve the physician and patient experience alike, MGB created and implemented solutions: increased staff support for administration, medical assistants, coordinators to assist prior authorizations and prescription refills, as well as other roles; and increased access to leading-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tools for notetaking and charting — a technology that has been described by many clinicians as a “game changer” — for all attending physician and advanced practice providers in MGB primary care practices.
Building on this effort, Anne Klibanski, MD, president and CEO of MGB, recently announced plans to invest $400 million in primary care over five years to help construct a care model that is innovative, inclusive and thoughtfully designed to support MGB primary care clinicians and help them, and the patients in their trusted care, to thrive.
“Our primary care physicians, advanced practice providers and care teams work to keep our primary care population of patients healthy — that starts with disease prevention through screening and early diagnosis, extends to chronic disease management and of course, managing urgent and emergent concerns,” says Dr. Klibanski. “These care teams are essential to patient experience and outcomes, working every day to ensure care and, when needed, access to the right specialist. Our remarkable colleagues are the foundation of our strong and resilient healthcare system.”
Specifically, this investment will include:
- Enhanced care coordination and the deployment of team-based virtual solutions and digital tools;
- Increased resources to practices that serve highly complex patients, patients with social needs and our aging population;
- New partnerships to improve patient access and experience;
- Improved training and education programs; and
- Recognition for providers’ quality-based performance, in alignment with MGB’s goal of improving patient outcomes.
MGB recognizes that population health must be stronger to better serve our commitment to value-based care. With this in mind, MGB is also launching a new Population Health Incentive Pool Program, designed to recognize high performance and continuous improvement in many adult and pediatric primary care practices.
Finally, in order to support primary care faculty and staff, so they can care for patients, MGB is elevating primary care within the health system by establishing a new system-wide leadership position: MGB chief of primary care. This leader, who will be a practicing primary care physician, will spearhead MGB’s primary care strategy and clinical operations systemwide, advocate for our clinicians and patients and, critically, continuously partner with frontline clinicians to drive change.
“Our vision for the future of primary care is bold, and investing in this future is more important than ever. Strength in primary care strengthens all the care we deliver,” says Dr. Klibanski. “This substantial investment in resources and new leadership is our unwavering commitment to our primary care clinicians and our patients. Together, we will build a future where primary care is strong, innovative and where every clinician feels valued and empowered.”
