New Program Launches to Increase Quality Primary Care in the Home

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (August 1, 2017)—The Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI) is announcing the launch of the HCCI Centers of Excellence (COEs) for Home-Based Primary Care, a first-of-its-kind program designed to increase the prevalence of high-quality home-based primary care across the United States. The HCCI COE program features the only comprehensive home-based primary care (HBPC) curriculum in the U.S., offered at eight partner institutions.

Home-based primary care brings the expertise of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants directly into the home. This focus on timely and appropriate care improves medical outcomes and patient and family experience, and reduces health care costs for older Americans with multiple chronic conditions and other medically complex patients. HCCI estimates there are only 1,000 providers in the U.S. making the majority of home-based primary care visits. The Institute aims to grow the HBPC workforce by training 5,000 clinicians, as well as practice managers, over the next five years.

“HCCI is committed to inspiring, engaging and growing the next generation of home-based primary care professionals,” said Dr. Thomas Cornwell, founder and CEO, HCCI. “We are working to improve the lives of medically complex patients and preparing the nation for future pressures on the health care system as America’s aging population grows.”

To develop greater understanding about best practices in home-based primary care, HCCI will collaborate with the COEs to collect and analyze information from a data registry being established as part of the COE program. House call programs that participate in HCCI training will be invited to contribute to the data registry and best practice development.

HCCI is establishing COEs with eight leading academic centers and health systems across the U.S., including:

• Cleveland Clinic
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• MedStar Total Elder Care—Medical House Call Program / MedStar Health
• Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
• Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• University of Arizona Center on Aging
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
• University of California, San Francisco

“The launch of this nationwide COE network marks a significant milestone for the expansion of home-based primary care in the U.S.,” said Bill Zafirau, MD, medical director, Center for Connected Care at the Cleveland Clinic. “Cleveland Clinic is thrilled to work with HCCI and others in the network to provide clinicians and practice managers with much-needed training, resources and support to begin or grow their home-based primary care programs.”

About the Curriculum
The HCCI Essential Elements of Home-Based Primary Care curriculum was developed by a cadre of nationally recognized home-based primary care thought leaders, and focuses on four core components of home-based primary care—foundational principles, economics, operations and clinical care.

The foundational course is comprised of three learning experiences. In the first, COE faculty members will deliver 12 hours of classroom education designed to ensure that both clinical care and practice management professionals meet required competencies and established performance standards. Participants do not need to be affiliated with the COE institution to register for the course. The subsequent two experiences focus on skills application: group mentorship followed by a “mini-fellowship” at an HCCI Practice Excellence Partner (PEP) site. Launching in early 2018, the PEP program offers learners both clinical and practice management—valuable field experience in HBPC.

“For the first time, HCCI has brought together the collective knowledge of so many committed and passionate experts into one comprehensive educational experience,” said Martha Twaddle, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, HMDC, senior vice president, Curriculum and Quality, HCCI, who helped lead development of the curriculum. “Together with our partners, including the American Academy of Home Care Medicine, the field’s professional association, we look forward to shaping the future of home-based primary care.”

The HCCI COE program is made possible in part by funding from organizations that share HCCI’s vision of guaranteeing access to home-based primary care for all patients who are better cared for in the home, including The John A. Hartford Foundation, a private national philanthropy based in New York City that is dedicated to improving the care of older adults.

To learn more about the HCCI COEs or to register for the foundational course, please visit hccinstitute.org.