Archive: Spring Issue

J. Lloyd Michener, MD
APTR President

Prevention Moves Toward Center Stage

August 2008

The last weeks have seen considerable progress on quite a few prevention-related projects. In May, the APTR-sponsored national workshop on dissemination and translation of clinical research drew almost 400 attendees from 33 states and two other countries. Materials from the workshop are available on the APTR website, including videos of the presentations. It is being followed by regional workshops, aided by the active leadership of many APTR members. Watch the APTR website for details.

Second, funding for incorporating prevention into clinical practice is increasingly being provided through the concept of “medical homes,” which serve as organizing units for health care for individuals and communities. The concept is supported by a national consortium of employers, insurers, and practice groups. Here in North Carolina, where early versions of the medical home were developed for Medicaid, services have moved from hospitals to practices, and from practices to communities, in order to prevent and more aggressively treat early disease. The savings are considerable: more than $100 million dollars/year statewide. But designing and implementing these new models of care is complex, and the assistance of those training in prevention can be quite helpful. You will hear more about medical homes from APTR, and likely will also see more on this new concept in your local area.

Third, discussions about the role of interprofessional teams are growing, especially in medical schools. With growing evidence of a physician shortage, and awareness that not every problem is best handled by physicians, comes an opportunity for APTR members to connect with other professions and to see if there are opportunities to make a difference. Please give it a try — even if you tried a few years ago.

And far from last, groups are coming together to define competencies in common. For instance, a working group from the NIH, CDC, AAMC, and APTR will be meeting in November to compare competencies in population health. This mirrors and builds on the earlier work of APTR in undergraduate education in public health, and the Healthy People Curriculum Task Force.

Please look for these opportunities—and let us know of ones we may have missed. We’ll be happy to share the news.

 

 

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