Building Teams in Primary Care: Lessons from 15 Case Studies

How to solve the problem? Many practices have found the answer in the creation of high-functioning primary care teams with nonphysician team members taking on clinical tasks that physicians have insufficient time to perform and that focus several people on each patient's problems. Some have also demonstrated that many primary care visits, especially for chronic disease, involve relatively simple matters that could be handled by nonphysician team members via protocols or standing orders.

This two-part report examines the approaches taken by 15 primary care practices across the United States. The case studies demonstrate that teams are a necessary and effective foundation upon which other innovations — such as the chronic care model, advanced access, group visits, and electronic encounters — can be pursued.