Use of quality improvement strategies among US primary care practices

Improving primary care quality is a national priority, but little is known about the extent to which small- to medium-size practices use quality improvement strategies to improve care.

This is according to a recently published article in the Annals of Family Medicine entitled "Use of Quality Improvement Strategies Among Small- to Medium-Size U.S. Primary Care Practices." Bijal Balasubramanian, MBBS, PhD, et al, examined variations in use of quality improvement strategies among 1,181 small- to medium-size primary care practices engaged in a national initiative spanning 12 U.S. states to improve quality of care for heart health and assessed factors associated with those variations.

The researchers found substantial variation in the use of quality improvement strategies among small- to medium-size primary care practices. Findings suggest that practices may need external support to strengthen their ability to do quality improvement and to be prepared for new payment and delivery models.