South Central Pennsylvania Alliance (SCPA)

WellSpan Health is a collaborator and leader in Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q). Through this effort, area community leaders, consumers, physicians, nurses, employers and insurers have come together to help improve health care quality in the York/Adams county communities through several care coordination initiatives. 

South Central Pennsylvania Patient-Centered Medical Home Collaborative

The Collaborative focuses primarily on bringing together primary and specialty practices with local business coaches, to assist doctors’ offices in becoming more efficient; improving morale; implementing problem-solving techniques; reducing costs; and improving care for individuals with diabetes. To continue efforts toward helping practices become Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) certified, the Collaborative also offers first-year graduates the opportunity to join the Enduring Learning Forum (ELF). Through ELF, they continue working to reduce emergency department visits and potentially avoidable hospitalizations, as well as improve diabetes process and outcome composites. As of July of 2013, 37 practices throughout south central Pennsylvania participate in both efforts. 

Patient Partners

With the Patient Partners program, one or two patients take a behind-the-scenes look at the health care practice and give feedback to doctors. Patient Partners either manage their own chronic condition or have cared for someone with a chronic illness, so they know firsthand about the challenges patients face in chronic diseases. The perspective of a patient familiar with chronic disease management has proved to be an invaluable tool for practices in York and Adams counties. Patient Partners are active members of their practices’ QILTs and contribute the patient viewpoint to practice-level redesign work as the providers strive to achieve patient-centered medical home recognition and improve health outcomes for their entire patient panels. To date, Aligning Forces for Quality–South Central Pennsylvania (AF4Q SCPA) has recruited, trained, and supported more than 56 Patient Partners in practices participating in SCPA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home Collaborative or Enduring Learning Forum.

Click here for the fall 2013 South Central Pennsylvania AF4Q report.