PMH assessment event provides valuable GP engagement opportunity

Jan 22, 2018

The Central Interior Rural Division (CIRD) hosted three successful events that encouraged members to complete the GPSC Patient Medical Home (PMH) Assessment and provided a great opportunity for individual engagement and conversations with physicians.

“The process allowed us to get more information, including information not in the assessment, which was of great value to the division. Conversations with these physicians are like gold,” says Jane Barnett, the Practice Support Coordinator (PSP) coordinator in the region.

Three small groups of four to six doctors (plus staff) gathered in a restaurant’s private dining space to share a meal, complete the assessment and brainstorm some community implementation tactics. The group setting allowed a PSP coordinator and Division staff to outline the broader context for the assessment within the GPSC strategic direction toward an integrated system of primary and community care. “We could explain why we were asking them to do this and what we were going to do with the data,” says Jill Zimonick, CIRD Project Manager. Once the physicians had completed the assessment, staff encouraged them to look toward aspects of the PMH that fit with their own values and circumstances.

The results collected have helped in shaping the Division’s project work around the PMH. CIRD will also be working with the PSP to address division-wide and individual practice needs identified through the results.

More than 15 divisions have opted to host a group event to encourage doctors to complete the GPSC PMH Assessment. To date, more than 350 GPs have completed the GPSC PMH Assessment.

Divisions that have not yet promoted the assessment to members are encouraged to either host a group event in partnership with PSP and the GPSC Evaluation team or ask division members to reflect on their practices and complete the assessment independently in partnership with PSP. The assessment takes about 30 minutes and, upon completion, doctors receive a one-page dashboard report that summarizes strengths and opportunities in their practices, as well as recommendations for tools and resources to support them. Participants can also receive up to one hour of sessional payment through the GPSC Evaluation team and have the opportunity to receive Mainpro+ credits should they decide to pursue practice improvement opportunities with the PSP based on their results. Completion of the assessment is voluntary and all responses are confidential unless participants have consented to share their information with others in their practice, their local PSP team, and/or their division.

For more information about the GPSC PMH Assessment please contact PSP.

Advice to divisions interested in hosting a group event

  • Keep the group between 6-30 physicians. 
  • Leave time for group discussion after the survey has been completed. (Physician time is compensated through the provincial office.)
  • Ensure each doctor brings a laptop or tablet to complete the survey and has already received his/her own unique survey link.
  • If doctors are from the same clinic, encourage them to sit together, as it will make action planning seamless.