Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care Announces New Case Series

BOSTON, April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care announced today a new case series that will support the Center's leadership development curriculum and programs for front line primary-care leaders, including physicians, other healthcare workers, and staff. The first two cases, currently available through the Center for Primary Care's website, profile the work of Southcentral Foundation, an Alaska Native health care organization working with the Native Community to achieve physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness.    

Through fellowship programs, a Harvard medical school elective, and leadership academies, the Center for Primary Care has developed novel leadership training for front line primary care physicians and medical professionals. This context specific training is building a pipeline of leaders who will lay the foundation for a stronger health system in the United States and around the world.

"At the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care, we envision high value health systems built on a foundation of strong primary care, and are committed to leading progress towards achieving that goal. The Center is transforming education, transforming care systems, and creating new approaches to primary care and health. Because of our experience improving primary care practice and education, we are uniquely positioned to create case studies that assist in leadership training for front-lines primary care leaders," said Dr. Andy Ellner, Co-Director of the Center for Primary Care.

"Harvard Business School style cases are intended to provide learners with an opportunity to 'stand in the shoes' of the protagonist, however, until now few, if any, cases have allowed primary care providers and staff to evaluate their own environment," said Stan Finkelstein, Director (HMS), MD/MBA Joint Degree Program (with HBS). "If we want to provide applicable training on how to lead primary care design and transformation, we need cases like this, based in clinical settings."

The Center will release at least five cases in the next year, as part of its new series. Upcoming cases will include:

• a primary care practice that is nationally recognized for joy in practice and high staff satisfaction,
• a European system where primary care is integrated with social services and the broader community,
• an organization that addresses the needs of patients experiencing frequent, preventable hospitalizations,
• a vertically integrated/networked large health system that offers innovative financing models.

The Southcentral Foundation (SCF) cases focus on organizational culture, leadership, governance, succession planning, teams, integrating primary care with the rest of the SCF health system, financing, and sustainability. The two cases have been piloted to audiences consisting of medical directors, fellows, residents, program, MD/MBA students, and medical students.

"I heard Katherine Gottlieb speak about Southcentral Foundation several years ago and was inspired and intrigued by her story. The HMS Center for Primary Care case provided detail about their evolution and journey that is invaluable for a practice or health care system that is attempting a similar transformation," said Dr. Blair Fosburgh Medical director, Mass General Hospital Internal Medical Associates.

"It is an honor that the Center for Primary Care has chosen Southcentral Foundation's Nuka System of Care to be the inaugural case. We hope that sharing our story in the form of a case study as part of the Center's leadership training will inspire and provoke new and creative ideas to transform health care globally," said Southcentral Foundation President/CEO Dr. Katherine Gottlieb.

The Center's research team conducted a rigorous case selection process, aimed at identifying a diverse set of high-performing primary care systems. The team reviewed more than 120 potential domestic and international study sites based on input from experts, research briefs, news articles on high-functioning primary care systems, and other sources.  

To learn more about the work of the Center, or to request updates on future cases, please sign up here.

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SOURCE Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care

Related Links

https://primarycare.hms.harvard.edu