Officials of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) announced the top five proposals they selected from submissions to their joint Practice Innovation Challenge on Oct. 12..
"This partnership with AMA highlights the capabilities of MGMA's most innovative members," MGMA President and CEO Halee Fischer-Wright said.
The five proposals that were selected and their sponsors are Asante Physician Partners, Medford, Oregon, for a patient-centered new patient process, a streamlined registration system to provide complete, accurate new patient information while substantially slashing administrative costs; Center for Excellence in Primary Care at the University of California, San Francisco, for a health coaching model that would engage patients in collaborative health action plans, saving physicians time while enhancing patient outcomes and satisfaction; Stanford University, Stanford, California, for a letter project to overcome language barriers with patients and provide accessible written information in numerous languages for facilitating end-of-life planning discussions with physicians; University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, for a team approach to preventable drug therapy problems to decrease hospital readmissions in targeted patients; and Vanguard Medical Group, Montclair, New Jersey, for an interactive education curriculum to improve the performance of medical assistants.
Each sponsor will earn a $10,000 prize and the opportunity to develop an educational module with the AMA and MGMA that will be shared with practices across the country through the AMA's STEPS Forward platform.
"Physicians looking to refocus their practice in response to an evolving health care environment can turn to AMA STEPS Forward for proven strategies to help confront common challenges in busy medical practices and devoting more time to caring for patients," AMA President Steven Stack said.
For more information about the AMA's STEPS Forward program, visit www.ama-assn.org/go/psps.
