Browsing by Author "Miller, William L."

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    Improving Smoking and Blood Pressure Outcomes: The Interplay Between Operational Changes and Local Context
    (Annals of Family Medicine, 2021) Cohen, Deborah J.; Sweeney, Shannon M.; Miller, William L.; Hall, Jennifer D.; Miech, Edward J.; Springer, Rachel J.; Balasubramanian, Bijal A.; Damschroder, Laura; Marino, Miguel; Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine
    Purpose: We undertook a study to identify conditions and operational changes linked to improvements in smoking and blood pressure (BP) outcomes in primary care. Methods: We purposively sampled and interviewed practice staff (eg, office managers, clinicians) from a subset of 104 practices participating in EvidenceNOW-a multisite cardiovascular disease prevention initiative. We calculated Clinical Quality Measure improvements, with targets of 10-point or greater absolute improvements in the proportion of patients with smoking screening and, if relevant, counseling and in the proportion of hypertensive patients with adequately controlled BP. We analyzed interview data to identify operational changes, transforming these into numeric data. We used Configurational Comparative Methods to assess the joint effects of multiple factors on outcomes. Results: In clinician-owned practices, implementing a workflow to routinely screen, counsel, and connect patients to smoking cessation resources, or implementing a documentation change or a referral to a resource alone led to an improvement of at least 10 points in the smoking outcome with a moderate level of facilitation support. These patterns did not manifest in health- or hospital system-owned practices or in Federally Qualified Health Centers, however. The BP outcome improved by at least 10 points among solo practices after medical assistants were trained to take an accurate BP. Among larger, clinician-owned practices, BP outcomes improved when practices implemented a second BP measurement when the first was elevated, and when staff learned where to document this information in the electronic health record. With 50 hours or more of facilitation, BP outcomes improved among larger and health- and hospital system-owned practices that implemented these operational changes. Conclusions: There was no magic bullet for improving smoking or BP outcomes. Multiple combinations of operational changes led to improvements, but only in specific contexts of practice size and ownership, or dose of external facilitation.
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    Population health in primary care
    (Frontiers Media, 2024-03-14) Haggstrom, David A.; Gabbay, Robert A.; Miller, William L.; Howard, Jenna; Crabtree, Benjamin F.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Population health in the United States continues to lag behind other wealthy nations. Primary care has the promise of enhancing population health; however, the implementation of a population health approach within primary care deserves further consideration. Clinicians and staff from a national sample of 10 innovative primary care practices participated in a working conference to reflect upon population health approaches in primary care. A series of small- and large-group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and coded through an immersion/crystallization approach. Two prominent themes emerged: (1) Transitioning to a population health focus generally develops through stages, with early implementation focusing on risk stratification and later, more advanced stages focusing on community health; and (2) Several inherent barriers confront implementation of a population health approach, including tensions with patient-centered care, and limitations of health information technology. A broader conceptualization of population health in terms of community health could more effectively allow partnerships among primary care, large health care systems, public health organizations, patients, and other partners in the community.