Guideline concordant detection and management of depression among Alaska Native and American Indian people in primary care.

BACKGROUND: A tribal health organization in Alaska implemented a primary care depression screening, detection and management initiative amongst 55,000 Alaska Native/American Indian people (AN/AIs). OBJECTIVES: (a) To describe the proportion of AN/AIs screening positive for depression with depression noted or diagnosed and proportion with guideline concordant management and (b) to assess whether management varied by patient and provider factors. RESEARCH DESIGN: Secondary analysis of electronic and paper medical record information of 400 AN/AIs. MEASURES: Provider variables, patient demographics and patient clinical factors were electronically queried. Manual chart audits assessed depression notation, diagnoses and management within 12 weeks of positive screening. Multilevel ordinal logistic modelling assessed management by patient and provider factors. RESULTS: A depression diagnosis was present in 141 (35%) charts and 151 (38%) had depressive symptoms noted. Detection was higher among AN/AIs with moderate and severe depression (p<0.001). In total, 258 patients (66%) received guideline concordant management, 32 (8%) had some management, and 110 (28%) received no management. Younger patient age and increased provider tenure increased odds of management. CONCLUSIONS: Most AN/AIs screening positive for depression received initial guideline concordant management. Additional outreach to older patients and additional support for providers newer to practices appears warranted.

Process and outcomes of patient-centered medical care with Alaska Native people at Southcentral Foundation.

PURPOSE: This study describes key elements of the transition to a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model at Southcentral Foundation (SCF), a tribally owned and managed primary care system, and evaluates changes in emergency care use for any reason, for asthma, and for unintentional injuries, during and after the transition. METHODS: We conducted a time series analyses of emergency care use from medical record data. We also conducted 45 individual, in-depth interviews with PCMH patients (customer-owners), primary care clinicians, health system employees, and tribal leaders. RESULTS: Emergency care use for all causes was increasing before the PCMH implementation, dropped during and immediately after the implementation, and subsequently leveled off. Emergency care use for adult asthma dropped before, during, and immediately after implementation, subsequently leveling off approximately 5 years after implementation. Emergency care use for unintentional injuries, a comparison variable, showed an increasing trend before and during implementation and decreasing trends after implementation. Interview participants observed improved access to primary care services after the transition to the PCMH tempered by increased staff fatigue. Additional themes of PCMH transformation included the building of relationships for coordinated, team-based care, and the important role of leadership in PCMH implementation. CONCLUSIONS: All reported measures of emergency care use show a decreasing trend after the PCMH implementation. Before the implementation, overall use and use for unintentional injuries had been increasing. The combined quantitative and qualitative results are consistent with decreased emergency care use resulting from a decreased need for emergency care services due to increased availability of primary care services and same-day appointments.