- Increased continuity of care because the patient now has a team focusing on care. At times throughout the day when team members cannot talk face to face with one another or with the patient, they know about the patient’s situation and are better able to establish a rapport when the patient calls or comes in for the visit. Trainees also become familiar with their practice partners’ patients, which allows them to ensure continuity when the patient’s primary trainee provider is out of clinic;
- Panel management and identifying and tracking sicker patients;
- Increased access, such as identifying patients who could receive care by a telephone visit, decreasing the number of no shows by making extra efforts to remind patients about appointments and improving follow up; and
- Improved population health outcomes from process improvements, such as the development of a process for having patients on opioids sign new contracts or identifying diabetics who might benefit from a group approach to care.
The Future
The huddle coach concept and checklist have been shared broadly and have applicability in other teaching settings where providers and clinic staff are learning how to implement huddles. A video and resources on “How to Huddle” are available at suzannecgordon.com/how-to-huddle/.
Under stage 2 of the CoEPCE program, the CoE will develop a huddle coaching program implementation kit composed of a huddle how-to guide and a coach training manual. The CoE team huddle is one of many VA huddles and an example of how the huddle continues to evolve. It is a versatile tool that can be used to focus on different topics and include different professions. Currently, it is being adapted to specialty care where there is large patient volume, such as cardiology and orthopedics.