The Medical Society Of Virginia Foundation
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The Medical Society of Virginia Foundation is launching an initiative to improve the treatment and management of chronic disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Virginia, accounting for approximately 26% of the state’s deaths in 2002. Hypertension continues to be the most prevalent chronic disease in the United States, affecting one out of four adults. To address this problem, the MSV Foundation has established the TO GOAL initiative (Together Obtaining Guidelines Optimization, Adherence and Lifestyles), which will have a preliminary focus on coronary artery disease and hypertension.
The TO GOAL initiative utilizes the Chronic Care Model developed by the McColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation as the conceptual framework for improving risk reduction and preventive cardiology in the physician office setting. In accordance with this model, the TO GOAL program will employ several major strategies to 1) improve physician identification of at-risk patients; and 2) provide physicians with the tools and resources needed to ensure that their patients adhere to necessary treatment protocols and comply with recommended practice guidelines.
This program optimizes the American Board of Family Medicine’s (ABFM) recertification process by implementing a practice-wide approach that allows for self-identification of opportunities for systems improvement and patient adherence. The program achieves its objectives by utilizing expert physician and clinical faculty to guide physician participants in identifying best practices in care; developing achievable plans for integrating these practices into clinical care; and providing tools and technical assistance for plan implementation.
The TO GOAL program is a physician-driven approach to clinical care quality improvement. As such, the program offers physicians the opportunity to prepare for pay-for-performance on physician terms. Participating physicians will evaluate their patients’ records, in collaboration with their partner physicians and clinical staff, to identify opportunities to meet or exceed guidelines for identification and treatment of patients at-risk for coronary artery disease and hypertension.
Participants in this program will fulfill certain required components of Part II and Part IV of the American Board of Family Medicine’s Maintenance of Certification for Family Physicians.
Closing the Gap
In November of 2006, MSVF convened a Cardiovascular Disease Advisory Group with representation from family practice, internal medicine, and cardiology to discuss improved prevention, risk assessment, and treatment of cardiovascular disease in Virginia. The results of this program are summarized in the article Closing the Gap in Cardiovascular Care in Virginia.