VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System

Members of the Greenfield nationally recognized Patient Aligned Care Team are, from left to right, Margaret Drewitz, licensed practical nurse; Sheila Brown, medical clerk; James Deputy, health technician; Dr. Alice Abbott, physician; and Rose Glaude, registered nurse. Other members of the team not present for the photo include Dr. David McGrath, physician, and Janice Cooper, social worker.

LEEDS, Mass., Jan. 30, 2012 -- The Greenfield VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic has earned top honors from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for being among the most successful clinics nationwide in adopting a new method of VA health delivery nationwide called Patient Aligned Care Teams or PACTs.

The VA New England Healthcare System recognized the Greenfield clinic for being among the top 10 percent of more than 5,000 VA PACT teams nationwide.  About 1,500 Veterans use the Greenfield clinic for their primary medical care.

The PACT system, which started in June of last year, is more patient-centered and focuses heavily on quick and easy communication between patients and their health care providers.

Greenfield PACT members are Dr. Alice Abbott, physician; Dr. David McGrath, physician; Sheila Brown, medical clerk; James Deputy, health technician; Margaret Drewitz, licensed practical nurse; Janice Cooper, social worker; and Rosemarie Glaude, registered nurse.

"This is a very special achievement," said a VA announcement naming the clinic as one of the best performing PACTs.  "It is based on your team's performance in providing excellent access to care for your patients, a high level of continuity of care, your use of telephone care in following up on patients discharged from the hospital and in overall patient care."

A presentation to the Greenfield clinic was made by Dr. Neil Nusbaum, chief of staff for VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System.

“Under PACT, our Veterans in Franklin County have a dedicated group of individuals including a doctor, a nurse, and support staff to help manage and monitor their health care needs,” said Dr. Nusbaum. “The Greenfield clinic is doing an exceptional job in coordinating care by collaborating with all the members of the team.  It’s a team-based approach that is really working well.”

The ranking of the clinic is based on several factors, including the percentage of Veteran patients receiving annual immunizations, medical screenings and important tests and preventive health services.

The clinic is also judged on how well it checks and explains lab results for Veterans.  An important measurement is also how well it performs patient medication reconciliations -- the formal process of comparing a Veteran's medication orders to all of the medications that the Veteran has been taking. This reconciliation is done to avoid medication errors such as omissions, duplications, dosing errors, or drug interactions.

This coordination of care helps the clinic place the patient's needs first to help them be even more proactive in managing their health care, said Glaude.

"It means we are committed to the welfare of our patients," said Glaude.  "We assure that what we do each day is what's needed for our patient's individual needs and that we take a holistic approach to caring for our patients."

For example, PACT allows patients to have a more active role in their health care, Glaude said, and is associated with increased quality improvement, patient satisfaction, and a decrease in hospital costs due to fewer hospital visits and readmissions.

In addition to improving communication between Veterans and their providers, Veterans Health Administration PACTs are also designed to make getting access to specialty care easier on the Veteran. Patients in high-performing PACT teams, such as the one in Greenfield, have lower rates of admission to the hospital and lower use of urgent care and emergency rooms.

An important measure of success for the Greenfield clinic is the level of direct involvement the PACT has with individual Veterans.  The PACT, for example, works with each Veteran to schedule appointments and then follows up with each Veteran and specialty provider to ensure continuous, effective, appropriate health care, said Brown.

Under the PACT system, the clinic "huddles" each morning to review that day's patient schedule and meets to focus on the specific needs of each Veteran, said Drewitz.  "The one-on-one contact and follow-ups with each Veteran is important," said Drewitz, who said all members of the team have clearly defined goals.

A significant focus of the Greenfield PACT is to encourage Veterans to take an active role in their health care.  This includes providing support and offering help for Veterans so they can learn how to improve their lifestyle, said Dr. Abbott.

"The Veteran is the most important member of our PACT,"  said Dr. Abbott.  “The focus is on forging trusted, personal relationships, and the result is coordination of all aspects of a patient’s health care.”

Abbott said the PACT is a strong proponent of MyHealtheVet, the online personal health record for Veterans.  Veterans enrolled in VA health care can register on MyHealtheVet and by completing a one-time in-person authentication process, they can get VA wellness reminders, view their VA appointments, and participate in secure messaging with their healthcare team.

Deputy helps Veterans with access to the MyHealtheVet system and with other technology-based VA systems.

"It's a wonderful program and one that we highlight here in Greenfield," said Deputy.  "MyHealtheVet helps you to work with your team to achieve the best possible health."

Veterans who would like more information about VA healthcare and the PACT system are encouraged to visit their community-based VA outpatient clinic or they can contact a VA benefits advisor at (877) 222-VETS (8387) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.