BIHE Monthly Seminar – Diversity in Primary Care Teams and Implications for Patient Outcomes
BIHE Monthly Seminar
December 13, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Abstract: We sought to examine relationships amongst demographic diversity, role diversity, and disparities in patients’ health outcomes. 6,098 primary care Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACTs) at 152 VHA Medical Centers and their respective patient panels were examined during two observation periods (November-December 2019, April-May 2020). Demographic and professional data were extracted from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Reengineered Primary Care Management Module. Database review of demographic characteristics and staffing configurations among primary care teams, team performance, and clinical outcomes of respective patient panels. Clinical outcomes were extracted from VHA’s Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), electronic quality measures, and the PACT Compass. Team-member roles were extracted from VHA’s Primary Care Almanac Team Assignments report and demographics extracted from VHA’s employee data cube. We calculated Blau indices to estimate demographic (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender) and professional role diversity of PACTs. Multilevel modeling predicted health outcomes (i.e., Emergency Department utilization, hypertension control, and diabetes management) from PACT roles and demographics. Facility-level, demographic diversity was associated with lower ED utilization rates, B = -48.20, p < .01. Conversely, greater demographic diversity amongst teams predicted higher ED utilization rates, B = 3.96, p = .05. Considering demographic diversity of teams and patient panels, greater professional role diversity amongst teams predicted lower ED utilization rates, B = -7.96, p = .03. Greater facility- and team-level demographic diversity predicted improved hypertension control when accounting for the diversity of patient panels (B = 17.79, p < .01 and B = 1.39, p = .04, respectively). Facility-level professional role diversity predicted lower diabetes mismanagement when controlling for demographic diversity of teams and patient panel, B = -26.64, p = .04. In conclusion, demographic and professional diversity helps healthcare teams build knowledge base that can lead to improved performance and quality outcomes for patients.
Sponsored by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, College of Medicine, and College of Applied Health Sciences.
Date posted
Dec 4, 2023
Date updated
Dec 5, 2023
Speakers
Dr. Ashley Hughes | Assistant Professor | Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Research Health Scientist Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare, Edward Hines JR VA Hospital
