Nine out of 16 AF4Q communities have some level of practice coaching support, with funding for these programs primarily through the AF4Q grant. Cleveland Better Health has in the past two years developed a membership model where health care providers, purchasers, and community partners pay a basic annual membership fee for a package of services that include practice coaching. Similarly, Greater Memphis Common Table and Humboldt County Alliances have expressed interest in developing a business approach with the goal of sustaining their practice support programs through a diversified funding stream. These three alliances have joined forces to work on these approaches together in the AF4Q Practice Coaching Sustainability Program, working with the Improving Performance in Practice (IPIP) technical support team to develop a detailed business plan, including a value proposition or return on investment to enable these leaders to market their services more effectively, identifying strategic partners and purchasers willing to pay for practice support services to transform ambulatory care. These alliances will work with IPIP over the next six months and will be reporting successes and key learning as part of the sustainability curriculum developed by the NPO and technical assistance teams.  

 

In AHRQ’s Developing and Running a Primary Care Practice Facilitation Program, A How-To Guide, the authors’ recommend creating a business plan that includes the following:

 

 

Included in this section of the guide is a chapter on developing a plan for funding your program, with a table outlining potential funding sources for practice support programs.  

 

Compiled by Jen Powell, an AF4Q technical advisor working with the Improving Performance in Practice (IPIP) Technical Support Team.