Supporting medical home transformation through evaluation of patient experience in a large culturally diverse primary care safety net

Context: The prevalence of chronic disease in the United States is rapidly increasing, with a disproportionate number of underserved, vulnerable patients sharing the burden. The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a care delivery model that has shown promise to improve primary care and address the burden of chronic illness. Objective: The purpose of this study was to (1) understand patient characteristics that might influence perceived patient experience in a large primary care safety net undergoing PCMH transformation; (2) identify community-level quality improvement opportunities to support ongoing transformation activities; and (3) establish a baseline of patient experience across the primary care safety net that could be used in repeated evaluations over the course of transformation. Design: A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct this research. Setting and Participants: A total of 351 racially and ethnically diverse patients of 4 primary care safety net organizations in Broward County, Florida, were surveyed regarding their experience with access to care and coordination of care. Main Outcome Measure: Reported access to care and coordination of care. Results: Patients with chronic disease who reported having visited the clinic 3 or more times in the past 12 months reported a better coordination of care experience than patients who had fewer than 3 visits in the past 12 months (odds ratio = 3.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.76-7.24). Patients without chronic disease who had been receiving care at the clinic for 2 or more years of care reported worse experience with access to care than patients with less than 2 years of care (odds ratio = 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.60.) Race, ethnicity, language, and education were not significant predictors of patient experience. Conclusion: Findings support ongoing efforts to improve patient engagement among all patients and to enhance resources to manage chronic disease, including community-based self-management programs, in primary care safety nets undergoing PCMH transformation.