Commission on Goals Tackles Primary Care Delivery

ASHP's Commission on Goals convened March 12 at ASHP headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, to discuss the transformation of primary care delivery through the convergence of evolving patient and provider expectations, changing workforce dynamics, technological advancements, and innovative business models.

The annual meeting of the interdisciplinary commission provides important guidance to the ASHP Board of Directors and helps define ASHP’s strategic direction for the upcoming year.

This year’s commission roster included primary care leaders in pharmacy, medicine, nursing, public health, industry, and government.

The meeting focused on three main areas:

• Innovation and novel care delivery models that enable primary care transformation
• Leveraging the interprofessional workforce to optimize equitable access to care
• Integrating technological advancements to drive primary care delivery transformation

Common themes that spanned these areas included the need to remain agile and maintain a collaborative mindset when evaluating primary care models; to continue prioritizing the evolving patient needs and expectations for care optimization; to work collaboratively across healthcare disciplines; and to safely and effectively leverage novel technologies and tools to meet primary care needs.

The discussion on innovative care delivery models provided a broad overview of market drivers, business dynamics, and evolving patient needs that influence diversity in existing and anticipated primary care models.

Commission members reflected on key approaches to meet current and future primary care needs and the importance of designing primary care models that target and expand upon the quintuple aim.

The session on the interprofessional workforce in primary care emphasized the critical need to fill provider gaps amid a worsening shortage of primary care physicians.

During the discussion, commission members said that an ideal primary care team has expertise that covers the full range of patients’ clinical, behavioral, and social needs. Commission members stressed the importance of education on the roles and responsibilities of each member of the interprofessional team.

The session on integrating technological advancements to drive the transformation of primary care delivery included a description of opportunities for leveraging digital tools to optimize workflows, effectively using data, and providing optimal care. One speaker gave examples of how organizations can prioritize digital medicine through virtual care delivery, enhanced virtual patient communication platforms, and e-consults.

During the discussion, commission members commented on the complexities of developing effective infrastructure to support technology-augmented care delivery methods, the challenges and opportunities in leveraging digital tools for the care of patients, and the importance of educating patients and providers about the appropriate integration of digital care.

The meeting concluded with a review of the economic, regulatory, legal, and financial implications of primary care transformation, including how to improve patient outcomes and experience while supporting a thriving interprofessional workforce.

Proceedings of the commission’s meeting will be published in AJHP.