UMass Medical School researchers studied how three Worcester community health providers integrate care for patients with substance use disorders to understand what practices work and where the challenges remain. The study, funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, indicates primary care teams that provide substance use disorder treatment could improve quality and manage costs.
The report, released July 21, examines the care coordination practices at Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, Family Health Center of Worcester, and Community Healthlink. Researchers used enrollment records and medical claims from MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program, for adult patients served at the centers during 2013. They also conducted interviews with center staff and patients.
The study was led by Robin Clark, PhD, professor of family medicine & community health and quantitative health sciences, and Deborah Gurewich, PhD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health and associate director of Commonwealth Medicine’s research and evaluation unit. Additional Commonwealth Medicine co-authors include Linda Cabral, MM, senior project director of research and evaluation; and Kathleen Muhr, MEd, project director of the Work Without Limits program. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences student Gillian Griffith contributed to the report.
Researchers learned that flexibility and delivering quick responses are essential to delivering good care. They also noted that payment systems must support this type of patient communication. The study discovered that patients with substance use disorders often have a wide range of social needs that must be considered.
The authors conclude that primary care teams with a focus on serving patients with addiction disorders appeared to contribute to higher-quality care for a range of conditions and to reduce rates of potentially avoidable hospitalization.
