Maine has had an impressive history and continued commitment to improve the health of its citizens through strengthening its system of primary care across the State. In the fall of 2007, the Maine Legislature convened the Commission to Study Primary Care Practice to examine the issues facing primary care and ways to stabilize and support it. In the 2008-2009 State Health Plan, the Governor’s Office for Health Policy and Finance identified the need to promote primary care as the foundation for our state’s health system.
Formed in 2003 and incorporated in 2006, Maine Quality Counts (QC) has provided leadership, advocacy and support for improving primary care in partnership with the State through several multi-stakeholder initiatives including PCMH learning collaboratives, a Multi-payer Advanced Primary Care Practice program, Coordinated Care Teams, Quality Counts for Kids, and Integrated Behavioral-Physical Health, to name a few. Maine Quality Counts, as one of the State’s designated partners in the State Innovation Model (SIM) Initiative, is working to ensure all State health improvement measures build upon the success of these and other established PCMH programs. Quality Counts is leading the learning collaborative to implement the new Maine Behavioral Health Home Initiative.