Leif I. Solberg, MD

This article presents a case study of how stakeholders in one state came together to integrate practice and research that is a step beyond a learning health care system.

A survey completed by 100% of leaders of diverse care systems in Minnesota participating in an observational study showed little difference in approach to care coordination.

Large medical groups perform better than medium- or small-sized groups on diabetes quality measures, perhaps because they have more care management processes in place.

Patients with abdominal or back pain identified 21 outcomes important to them, but the reported outcomes are quite different from the symptom and function outcomes studied by researchers.

Becoming a medical home appears to increase physician and staff job satisfaction, but it also risks decreasing patient satisfaction with access to care.

Factors most important for successful implementation of collaborative care for depression differ for patient activation versus achieving remission; both are critical to program success.

This study demonstrated that reduction of depression symptoms following routine treatment in primary care is significantly associated with improvements in productivity at work.

Evaluation of the 5 As of smoking cessation using patient electronic medical records across 6 distinct healthcare systems, stratified by comorbidity, gender, age, race ethnicity.

From 2005 to 2009, improved clinical practice systems were associated with cost reductions only for medically complex patients.

This article reports a unique statewide initiative in Minnesota to improve orders for high-tech diagnostic imaging tests while reducing their overall frequency and costs.

Patients who often change medical groups have the highest healthcare costs. The improved coordination of an accountable care organization may reduce those costs.

Electronic decision support for high-tech diagnostic imaging was associated with reduced volume and increased appropriateness, but had little impact on findings or patients.

Reporting physician group performance in addition to health plan performance may stimulate greater improvement in diabetes care.

Integrated care systems allegedly provide better care. This study of 97 large medical groups nationally provides suggestive evidence that this may be true.

The Physician Practice Connections-Readiness Survey can identify practice systems that are associated with higher rates of quality diabetes care.