Re-Engineering Delivery

The health care system is fragmented, and care is often compartmentalized, with providers treating patient symptoms rather than looking at the needs of the whole patient. When this happens, patients often fall through the cracks due to lack of communication between clinicians, complex conditions, or other outside factors, such as lack of transportation or access to a primary care doctor. Providing high-quality care and avoiding problems for patients require rethinking the way care is delivered at critical moments, such as in the transition from hospital to home or when a patient first arrives at the emergency department. AF4Q communities have implemented and improved strategies that re-imagine and re-engineer the way care is delivered locally in their communities. This session highlighted lessons from five AF4Q communities that transformed care delivery by addressing the needs of the whole patient where they are, thus improving quality and driving down costs.