NAVKIDS2: a lesson in matching outcome measures to interventions.

Patient navigator programs may improve outcomes among individuals with chronic kidney disease by reducing barriers to evidence-based care. The NAVKIDS2 trial evaluated a patient navigation program among 162 children with chronic kidney disease from marginalized populations. The intervention was not associated with quantitative changes in self-reported health, but qualitative data indicated substantial benefit in alleviating caregiver strain and facilitating care coordination. Future studies should identify quantitative measures that capture the benefits experienced by patients in care coordination, empowerment, and self-management.

"They call me the 'Great Queen'": implementing the Malkia Klabu program to improve access to HIV self-testing and contraception for adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls and young woman (AGYW) comprise a significant proportion of new HIV infections and unintended pregnancies in sub-Saharan Africa yet face many barriers to accessing family planning and reproductive health (FPRH) information and services. Developed via human-centered design, the Malkia Klabu ("Queen Club") program aimed to facilitate access to HIV self-testing (HIVST) and FPRH information and products at privately-owned drug shops. We sought to understand barriers and facilitators to program implementation in a 4-month pilot in Tanzania. METHODS: Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants in a cluster randomized trial of the Malkia Klabu program from November 2019 through March 2020, including 11 with AGYW, 26 with drug shopkeepers, and three with counselors at health facilities to whom AGYW were referred. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed to identify key themes. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used to assess barriers and facilitators to program implementation at multiple levels. CFIR considers the outer setting (e.g., culture and systemic conditions), the inner setting where the intervention is implemented (e.g., incentives, relationships, and available resources), the individuals involved, the innovation as it relates to stakeholder needs, and the implementation process. RESULTS: The Malkia Klabu program reshaped and directed the role of drug shopkeepers as providers of information and resources rather than FPRH gatekeepers. Key implementation facilitators included the program's adaptability to a wide range of needs and stages of readiness among AGYW, ability to capitalize on AGYW social networks for driving membership, responsiveness to AGYW's need for privacy, and positive contributions to the income and community standing of drug shopkeepers. Components such as HIVST were highly acceptable to both AGYW and shopkeepers, and the introduction of the loyalty program and HIVST kits in shops opened doors to the provision of FPRH products and information, which was further facilitated by program tools such as videos, product displays, and symbol cards. Although some shopkeepers maintained beliefs that certain contraceptive methods were inappropriate for AGYW, most appeared to provide the products as part of the program. CONCLUSIONS: The Malkia Klabu intervention's success was due in part to its ability to address key motivations of both AGYW and drug shopkeepers, such as maintaining privacy and increasing access to FPRH products for AGYW and increasing business for shops. Better understanding these implementation barriers and facilitators can inform the program's future adaptation and scale-up. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov #NCT04045912.

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa have limited access to family planning and reproductive health products and information even though they are at greater risk of pregnancy and HIV infection. The Malkia Klabu intervention was designed with AGYW and shopkeepers from private drug shops to facilitate access to products and information through a loyalty program that included free products, prizes for purchases, educational videos, and a non-verbal system of requesting products through symbols. Qualitive interviews with AGYW, drug shop staff, and health system counselors suggested that the program helped provide greater privacy and confidence to AGYW while bringing new business to drug shops. These findings can help as the study team charts a pathway for scaling up the intervention.

The Association of Teamlets and Teams with Physician Burnout and Patient Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Primary care "teamlets" in which a staff member and physician consistently work together might provide a simple, cost-effective way to improve care, with or without insertion within a team. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and performance of teamlets and teams. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study linking survey responses to Medicare claims. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred eighty-eight general internists and family physicians. INTERVENTIONS: Based on survey responses, physicians were assigned to one of four teamlet/team categories (e.g., teamlet/no team) and, in secondary analyses, to one of eight teamlet/team categories that classified teamlets into high, medium, and low collaboration as perceived by the physician (e.g., teamlet perceived-high collaboration/no team). MAIN MEASURES: Descriptive: percentage of physicians in teamlet/team categories. OUTCOME MEASURES: physician burnout; ambulatory care sensitive emergency department and hospital admissions; Medicare spending. KEY RESULTS: 77.4% of physicians practiced in teamlets; 36.7% in teams. Of the four categories, 49.1% practiced in the teamlet/no team category; 28.3% in the teamlet/team category; 8.4% in no teamlet/team; 14.1% in no teamlet/no team. 15.7%, 47.4%, and 14.4% of physicians practiced in perceived high-, medium-, and low-collaboration teamlets. Physicians who practiced neither in a teamlet nor in a team had significantly lower rates of burnout compared to the three teamlet/team categories. There were no consistent, significant differences in outcomes or Medicare spending by teamlet/team or teamlet perceived-collaboration/team categories compared to no teamlet/no team, for Medicare beneficiaries in general or for dual-eligible beneficiaries. CONCLUSIONS: Most general internists and family physicians practice in teamlets, and some practice in teams, but neither practicing in a teamlet, in a team, or in the two together was associated with lower physician burnout, better outcomes for patients, or lower Medicare spending. Further study is indicated to investigate whether certain types of teamlet, teams, or teamlets within teams can achieve higher performance.

Virtual Trainings Effectively Prepared the Public Health Workforce to Support Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic in California in 2021.

CONTEXT: School closures in California due to COVID-19 have had a negative impact on the learning advancement and social development of K-12 students. Since March 2020, the achievement gap has grown between high-income and low-income students and between White students and students of color. PROGRAM: In November 2020, a team from the California Department of Public Health, University of California, San Francisco, and University of California, Los Angeles, developed the School Specialist training for local health department and state employee redirected staff to the COVID-19 response to equip them to support schools as they reopen. IMPLEMENTATION: A pilot of the virtual School Specialist training was carried out in December 2020, which informed subsequent biweekly half-day virtual trainings. The training consisted of lectures from experts and skill development activities led by trained facilitators. EVALUATION: The objectives of the evaluation of the training were to understand whether (1) knowledge of key concepts improved from pre- to posttraining; (2) confidence in skills central to the role of a School Specialist improved from pre- to posttraining; and (3) course learners who were activated to work as School Specialists felt the training adequately prepared them for the role. The School Specialist training team sent pre- and posttraining surveys to learners between February 8 and May 18, 2021. Of the 262 learners who responded, a significant improvement was seen in knowledge, with a mean score increase of 15.6%. Significant improvement was also observed for confidence, with a 20.1% score improvement seen posttraining. DISCUSSION: Overall, the School Specialist training was shown to be effective in increasing knowledge and confidence in preparation for School Specialist deployment. Adequate training and partnerships for local health department and school staff are critical to keep K-12 students safe and to reduce the learning achievement gap during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Establishment and Evaluation of a Large Contact-Tracing and Case Investigation Virtual Training Academy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Virtual Training Academy (VTA) was established to rapidly develop a contact-tracing workforce for California. Through June 2021, more than 10 000 trainees enrolled in a contact-tracing or case investigation course at the VTA. To evaluate program effectiveness, we analyzed trainee pre- and postassessment results using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. There was a statistically significant (P < .001) improvement in knowledge and self-perceived skills after course completion, indicating success in training a competent contact-tracing workforce. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(11):1934-1938. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306468).

Lay Health Coaching to Increase Appropriate Inhaler Use in COPD: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: Poor adherence to medications is more prevalent for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than for other chronic conditions and is associated with unfavorable health outcomes. Few interventions have successfully improved adherence for COPD medications; none of these use unlicensed health care personnel. We explored the efficacy of lay health coaches to improve inhaler adherence and technique. METHODS: Within a randomized controlled trial, we recruited English- and Spanish-speaking patients with moderate to severe COPD from urban, public primary care clinics serving a low-income, predominantly African American population. Participants were randomized to receive 9 months of health coaching or usual care. Outcome measures included self-reported adherence to inhaled controller medications in the past 7 days and observed technique for all inhalers. We used generalized linear models, controlling for baseline values and clustering by site. RESULTS: Baseline adherence and inhaler technique were uniformly poor and did not differ by study arm. At 9 months, health-coached patients reported a greater number of days of adherence compared with usual care patients (6.4 vs 5.5 days; adjusted P = .02) and were more likely to have used their controller inhalers as prescribed for 5 of the last 7 days (90% vs 69%; adjusted P = .008). They were more than 3 times as likely to demonstrate perfect technique for all inhaler devices (24% vs 7%; adjusted P = .01) and mastery of essential steps (40% vs 11%; adjusted P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Health coaching may provide a scalable model that can improve care for people living with COPD.

Burnout and Health Care Workforce Turnover.

PURPOSE: Levels of burnout among primary care clinicians and staff are alarmingly high, and there is widespread belief that burnout and lack of employee engagement contribute to high turnover of the workforce. Scant research evidence exists to support this assertion, however. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study using survey data on burnout and employee engagement collected in 2013 and 2014 from 740 primary care clinicians and staff in 2 San Francisco health systems, matched to employment roster data from 2016. RESULTS: Prevalence of burnout, low engagement, and turnover were high, with 53% of both clinicians and staff reporting burnout, only 32% of clinicians and 35% of staff reporting high engagement, and 30% of clinicians and 41% of staff no longer working in primary care in the same system 2 to 3 years later. Burnout predicted clinician turnover (adjusted odds ratio = 1.57; 95% CI, 1.02-2.40); there was also a strong trend whereby low engagement predicted clinician turnover (adjusted odds ratio with high engagement = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.33-1.04). Neither measure significantly predicted turnover for staff. CONCLUSIONS: High rates of burnout and turnover in primary care are compelling problems. Our findings provide evidence that burnout contributes to turnover among primary care clinicians, but not among staff. Although reducing clinician burnout may help to decrease rates of turnover, health care organizations and policymakers concerned about employee turnover in primary care need to understand the multifactorial causes of turnover to develop effective retention strategies for clinicians and staff.

A Longitudinal Study of Trends in Burnout During Primary Care Transformation.

PURPOSE: The quadruple aim of primary care transformation includes promoting well-being among the primary care workforce. We longitudinally assessed burnout among clinicians and staff in 2 health delivery organizations engaged in primary care redesign guided by a shared transformation model. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive longitudinal study, using repeated cross-sectional measures from 6 waves of surveys of employed primary care clinicians (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants) and staff conducted between 2012 to 2018 in the San Francisco Health Network and in UCSF Health. The 2018 wave had 613 respondents (response rate 88%). Outcome measures were scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory emotional exhaustion and cynicism subscales. We used regression models to test for time trends in mean scores. RESULTS: Trends in burnout differed by system and occupation. In one system, mean clinician scores steadily improved for emotional exhaustion (P = .04) and cynicism (P = .07). In the other system, clinician burnout scores initially worsened and then returned to baseline levels. In both systems, burnout trends among staff tended to move in the opposite direction from trends among clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: The divergent trends of steady reduction in clinician burnout in one system and clinician burnout getting worse before getting better in the other system suggest that the effects of primary care transformation are influenced by the organizational context. Moreover, practice changes that reduce clinician burnout may not decrease-and may potentially even worsen-burnout among staff. Primary care transformation requires continuing efforts to promote meaningful work and sustainable workloads among all members of the primary care team.

Capacity to Address Social Needs Affects Primary Care Clinician Burnout.

PURPOSE: Primary care clinicians disproportionately report symptoms of burnout, threatening workforce sustainability and quality of care. Recent surveys report that these symptoms are greater when clinicians perceive fewer clinic resources to address patients' social needs. We undertook this study to better understand the relationship between burnout and clinic capacity to address social needs. METHODS: We completed semistructured, in-person interviews and brief surveys with 29 primary care clinicians serving low-income populations. Interview and survey topics included burnout and clinic capacity to address social needs. We analyzed interviews using a modified grounded theory approach to qualitative research and used survey responses to contextualize our qualitative findings. RESULTS: Four key themes emerged from the interview analyses: (1) burnout can affect how clinicians evaluate their clinic's resources to address social needs, with clinicians reporting high emotional exhaustion perceiving low efficacy even in when such resources are available; (2) unmet social needs affect practice by influencing clinic flow, treatment planning, and clinician emotional wellness; (3) social services embedded in primary care clinics buffer against burnout by increasing efficiency, restoring clinicians' medical roles, and improving morale; and (4) clinicians view clinic-level interventions to address patients' social needs as a necessary but insufficient strategy to address burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care clinicians described multiple pathways whereby increased clinic capacity to address patients' social needs mitigates burnout symptoms. These findings may inform burnout prevention strategies that strengthen the capacity to address patients' social needs in primary care clinical settings.

Strategies for recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for a clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Recruitment and retention are two significant barriers in research, particularly for historically underrepresented groups, including racial and ethnic minorities, patients who are low-income, or people with substance use or mental health issues. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death and disproportionately affects many underrepresented groups. The lack of representation of these groups in research limits the generalizability and applicability of clinical research and results. In this paper we describe our experience and rates of recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups for the Aides in Respiration (AIR) COPD Health Coaching Study. METHODS: A priori design strategies included minimizing exclusion criteria, including patients in the study process, establishing partnerships with the community clinics, and ensuring that the health coaching intervention was flexible enough to accommodate patient needs. RESULTS: Challenges to recruitment included lack of spirometric data in patient records, space constraints at the clinic sites, barriers to patient access to clinic sites, lack of current patient contact information and poor patient health. Of 282 patients identified as eligible, 192 (68%) were enrolled in the study and 158 (82%) completed the study. Race, gender, educational attainment, severity of disease, health literacy, and clinic site were not associated with recruitment or retention. However, older patients were less likely to enroll in the study and patients who used home oxygen or had more than one hospitalization during the study period were less likely to complete the study. Three key strategies to maximize recruitment and retention were identified during the study: incorporating the patient perspective, partnering with the community clinics, and building patient rapport. CONCLUSIONS: While the AIR study included design features to maximize the recruitment and retention of patients from underrepresented groups, additional challenges were encountered and responded to during the study. We also identified three key strategies recommended for future studies of COPD and similar conditions. Incorporating the approaches described into future studies may increase participation rates from underrepresented groups, providing results that can be more accurately applied to patients who carry a disparate burden of disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrial.gov at identifier NCT02234284 on August 12, 2014. Descriptor number: 2.9 Racial, ethnic, or social disparities in lung disease and treatment.

Correction to: Health coaching to improve self-management and quality of life for low income patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

In the original article [1], the authors reference their intention to use the 'Morisky Medication Adherence Scale'.

Maslach Burnout Inventory and a Self-Defined, Single-Item Burnout Measure Produce Different Clinician and Staff Burnout Estimates.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians and healthcare staff report high levels of burnout. Two common burnout assessments are the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and a single-item, self-defined burnout measure. Relatively little is known about how the measures compare. OBJECTIVE: To identify the sensitivity, specificity, and concurrent validity of the self-defined burnout measure compared to the more established MBI measure. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey (November 2016-January 2017). PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred forty-four primary care clinicians and 606 staff from three San Francisco Aarea healthcare systems. MAIN MEASURES: The MBI measure, calculated from a high score on either the emotional exhaustion or cynicism subscale, and a single-item measure of self-defined burnout. Concurrent validity was assessed using a validated, 7-item team culture scale as reported by Willard-Grace et al. (J Am Board Fam Med 27(2):229-38, 2014) and a standard question about workplace atmosphere as reported by Rassolian et al. (JAMA Intern Med 177(7):1036-8, 2017) and Linzer et al. (Ann Intern Med 151(1):28-36, 2009). KEY RESULTS: Similar to other nationally representative burnout estimates, 52% of clinicians (95% CI: 47-57%) and 46% of staff (95% CI: 42-50%) reported high MBI emotional exhaustion or high MBI cynicism. In contrast, 29% of clinicians (95% CI: 25-33%) and 31% of staff (95% CI: 28-35%) reported "definitely burning out" or more severe symptoms on the self-defined burnout measure. The self-defined measure's sensitivity to correctly identify MBI-assessed burnout was 50.4% for clinicians and 58.6% for staff; specificity was 94.7% for clinicians and 92.3% for staff. Area under the receiver operator curve was 0.82 for clinicians and 0.81 for staff. Team culture and atmosphere were significantly associated with both self-defined burnout and the MBI, confirming concurrent validity. CONCLUSIONS: Point estimates of burnout notably differ between the self-defined and MBI measures. Compared to the MBI, the self-defined burnout measure misses half of high-burnout clinicians and more than 40% of high-burnout staff. The self-defined burnout measure has a low response burden, is free to administer, and yields similar associations across two burnout predictors from prior studies. However, the self-defined burnout and MBI measures are not interchangeable.

Patient Engagement in Community Health Center Leadership: How Does it Happen?

Patient engagement in primary care leadership is an important means to involve community voices at community health centers. Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are mandated to have patient representation within their governing boards, while practices seeking patient-centered medical home certification receive credit for implementing patient advisory councils (PACs). Our objective was to compare and contrast how community health centers engage patients in clinic management, decision-making and planning within governing boards versus PACs. Qualitative study conducted from August 2016 to June 2017 at community health centers in California, Arizona and Hawaii. We interviewed practice leaders of patient engagement programs at their site. Eligible clinics had patient representatives within their governing board, PAC, or both. We assessed patient demographics, roles and responsibilities of patients participating, and extent of involvement in quality improvement among governing boards versus PACs. We interviewed 19 sites, of which 17 were FQHCs that had governing boards. Of the 17 FQHCs, 11 had also implemented PACs. Two non-FQHC safety-net sites had PACs but did not have governing boards. Governing board members had formal, structured membership responsibilities such as finances and hiring personnel. PAC roles were more flexible, focusing on day-to-day clinic operations. Clinics tended to recruit governing board patient members for their skill set and professional experience; PAC member recruitment focused more on demographic representation of the clinic's patient population. Both groups worked on quality improvement, but governing boards tended to review clinic performance metrics, while PAC members were involved in specific project planning and implementation to improve clinical outcomes and patient experience. Patient involvement in clinic improvement in CHCs includes higher-level decision-making and governance through mechanisms such as governing boards, as well as engagement in day-to-day practice improvement through PACs. These roles offer differing, but valuable insights to clinic programs and policies.

Health coaching to improve self-management and quality of life for low income patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severely hinders quality of life for those affected and is costly to the health care system. Care gaps in areas such as pharmacotherapy, inhaler technique, and knowledge of disease are prevalent, particularly for vulnerable populations served by community clinics. Non-professionally licensed health coaches have been shown to be an effective and cost-efficient solution in bridging care gaps and facilitating self-management for patients with other chronic diseases, but no research to date has explored their efficacy in improving care for people living with COPD. METHOD: This is multi-site, single blinded, randomized controlled trial evaluates the efficacy of health coaches to facilitate patient self-management of disease and improve quality of life for patients with moderate to severe COPD. Spirometry, survey, and an exercise capacity test are conducted at baseline and at 9 months. A short survey is administered by phone at 3 and 6 months post-enrollment. The nine month health coaching intervention focuses on enhancing disease understanding and symptom awareness, improving use of inhalers; making personalized plans to increase physical activity, smoking cessation, or otherwise improve disease management; and facilitating care coordination. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will provide evidence regarding the efficacy and feasibility of health coaching to improve self-management and quality of life for urban underserved patients with moderate to severe COPD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02234284 . Registered 12 August 2014.

What Happens After Health Coaching? Observational Study 1 Year Following a Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: Health coaching is effective for chronic disease self-management in the primary care safety-net setting, but little is known about the persistence of its benefits. We conducted an observational study evaluating the maintenance of improved cardiovascular risk factors following a health coaching intervention. METHODS: We performed a naturalistic follow-up to the Health Coaching in Primary Care Study, a 12-month randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing health coaching to usual care for patients with uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia. Participants were followed up 24 months from RCT baseline. The primary outcome was the proportion at goal for at least 1 measure (hemoglobin A1c, systolic blood pressure, or LDL cholesterol) that had been above goal at enrollment; secondary outcomes included each individual clinical goal. Chi-square tests and paired t-tests compared dichotomous and continuous measures. RESULTS: 290 of 441 participants (65.8%) participated at both 12 and 24 months. The proportion of patients in the coaching arm of the RCT who achieved the primary outcome dropped only slightly from 47.1% at 12 to 45.9% at 24 months (P = .80). The proportion at goal for hemoglobin A1c dropped from 53.4% to 36.2% (P = .03). All other clinical metrics had small, nonsignificant changes between 12 and 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the conclusion that most improved clinical outcomes persisted 1 year after the completion of the health coaching intervention.

Health coaching by medical assistants to improve control of diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia in low-income patients: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Health coaching by medical assistants could be a financially viable model for providing self-management support in primary care if its effectiveness were demonstrated. We investigated whether in-clinic health coaching by medical assistants improves control of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors when compared with usual care. METHODS: We conducted a 12-month randomized controlled trial of 441 patients at 2 safety net primary care clinics in San Francisco, California. The primary outcome was a composite measure of being at or below goal at 12 months for at least 1 of 3 uncontrolled conditions at baseline as defined by hemoglobin A1c, systolic blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Secondary outcomes were meeting all 3 goals and meeting individual goals. Data were analyzed using χ(2) tests and linear regression models. RESULTS: Participants in the coaching arm were more likely to achieve both the primary composite measure of 1 of the clinical goals (46.4% vs 34.3%, P = .02) and the secondary composite measure of reaching all clinical goals (34.0% vs 24.7%, P = .05). Almost twice as many coached patients achieved the hemoglobin A1c goal (48.6% vs 27.6%, P = .01). At the larger study site, coached patients were more likely to achieve the LDL cholesterol goal (41.8% vs 25.4%, P = .04). The proportion of patients meeting the systolic blood pressure goal did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Medical assistants serving as in-clinic health coaches improved control of hemoglobin A1c and LDL levels, but not blood pressure, compared with usual care. Our results highlight the need to understand the relationship between patients' clinical conditions, interventions, and the contextual features of implementation.

The 10 building blocks of high-performing primary care.

Our experiences studying exemplar primary care practices, and our work assisting other practices to become more patient centered, led to a formulation of the essential elements of primary care, which we call the 10 building blocks of high-performing primary care. The building blocks include 4 foundational elements-engaged leadership, data-driven improvement, empanelment, and team-based care-that assist the implementation of the other 6 building blocks-patient-team partnership, population management, continuity of care, prompt access to care, comprehensiveness and care coordination, and a template of the future. The building blocks, which represent a synthesis of the innovative thinking that is transforming primary care in the United States, are both a description of existing high-performing practices and a model for improvement.

Innovation in public delivery systems: How one safety net hospital implemented new heart monitoring technology.

This case study examines how a public delivery system hospital implemented a heart monitoring patch in place of existing electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring by pursuing a holistic value proposition. For example, leaders identified opportunity costs embedded in the existing ECG monitoring staffing. Stakeholders also rallied around values such as patient safety, patient experience, and quality of care. Implementation also benefited from external philanthropic and industry partnerships, which facilitated a pilot period to implement new workflows, demonstrate proof-of-concept, and evaluate process improvements. Despite implementation success, ongoing procurement and reimbursement challenges demonstrate the messiness of innovation, even after reaching a "maintenance" phase. Availability of patient-facing material in multiple languages is one example of an implementation gap in safety net settings. New policies by health systems, payers, and others are needed to establish pathways for future high-value innovations.

Implementing team-based telemedicine workflows in safety-net primary care.

OBJECTIVES: Challenges in implementing telemedicine disproportionately affect patients served in safety-net settings. Few studies have elucidated pragmatic, team-based strategies for successful telemedicine implementation in primary care, especially with a safety-net population. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted in-depth, semistructured qualitative interviews with primary care clinicians and staff in a large urban safety-net health care system on the facilitators, challenges, and impact of implementing team workflows for synchronous telemedicine video and audio-only visits. METHODS: Interviews were analyzed using modified grounded theory with multistage coding. Common themes were identified and reviewed to describe within-group and between-group variations. We used the Practical, Robust Implementation Sustainability Model framework to organize the final themes with an implementation science lens. RESULTS: Four themes emerged from 11 interviews: (1) having a dedicated individual preparing patients for video visits is a prerequisite for the successful introduction of video visits to patients with limited digital literacy; (2) health care maintenance during video and audio-only visits benefits from standardized workflows and communication; (3) the increased flexibility and accessibility of telemedicine visits were perceived benefits to patient care, despite barriers for subsets of patients; and (4) telemedicine visits generally have a positive impact on work experience for clinicians and staff due to increased efficiency, despite audio-only visits feeling less engaging. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding how to strategically use team-based workflows to expand video visit access while ensuring care quality of all telemedicine visits will allow primary care practices to maximize telemedicine's benefits to patients in the safety-net setting.