Enhancing the Primary Care Team to Provide Redesigned Care

ABSTRACT

Efforts to redesign primary care require multiple supports. Two potential mem- bers of the primary care team—practice facilitator and care manager—can play important but distinct roles in redesigning and improving care delivery. Facilita- tors, also known as quality improvement coaches, assist practices with coordinat- ing their quality improvement activities and help build capacity for those activi- ties—reflecting a systems-level approach to improving quality, safety, and imple- mentation of evidence-based practices. Care managers provide direct patient care by coordinating care and helping patients navigate the system, improving access for patients, and communicating across the care team. These complemen- tary roles aim to help primary care practices deliver coordinated, accessible, comprehensive, and patient-centered care.