Helicopters and Hospitalizations: Getting the Primary Care That We Invest In
Authors: Christine A. Sinsky
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Editorials1 March 2016Helicopters and Hospitalizations: Getting the Primary Care That We Invest InChristine A. Sinsky, MDChristine A. Sinsky, MDFrom American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M16-0008 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The medical helicopter perched on the road between 2 wintery cornfields in my rural Wisconsin neighborhood. Two ambulances and 4 other vehicles blocked what sparse traffic might come by while the volunteer fire department and pilot stood guard. A stretcher with a neatly folded red wool blanket remained 10 feet from the helicopter. Inside, an emergency physician and a nurse attended the patient.On the day I agreed to write this editorial about a modest investment to keep patients out of the hospital, I witnessed extraordinary coordination across multiple providers to bring a patient into the hospital, a feat of ...References1. Freund T, Peters-Klimm F, Boyd CM, Mahler C, Gensichen J, Erler A, et al. Medical assistant–based care management for high-risk patients in small primary care practices. A cluster randomized clinical trial. Ann Intern Med. 2016;164:323-30. doi:10.7326/M14-2403 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Shanafelt TD, Hasan O, Dyrbye LN, Sinsky C, Satele D, Sloan J, et al. Changes in burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians and the general US working population between 2011 and 2014. Mayo Clin Proc. 2015;90:1600-13. [PMID: 26653297] doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.08.023 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Griffiths P, Murrells T, Maben J, Jones S, Ashworth M. Nurse staffing and quality of care in UK general practice: cross-sectional study using routinely collected data. Br J Gen Pract. 2010;60:36-48. [PMID: 20040166] doi:10.3399/bjgp10X482086 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Erickson RA, Erickson RA, Targonski PV, Cox SB, Deming JR, Mold JW. Does the “office nurse” level of training matter in the family medicine office? J Am Board Fam Med. 2012;25:854-61. [PMID: 23136326] doi:10.3122/jabfm.2012.06.110138 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Milstein A, Gilbertson E. American medical home runs. Health Aff (Millwood). 2009;28:1317-26. [PMID: 19738247] doi:10.1377/hlthaff.28.5.1317 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Sinsky CA, Sinsky TA. Lessons from CareMore: a stepping stone to stronger primary care of frail elderly patients. Am J Manag Care. 12 June 2015. Accessed at www.ajmc.com/journals/ajac/2015/2015-vol3-n2/lessons-from-caremore-a-stepping-stone-to-stronger-primary-care-of-frail-elderly-patients on 4 January 2016. Google Scholar7. Patel MS, Arron MJ, Sinsky TA, Green EH, Baker DW, Bowen JL, et al. Estimating the staffing infrastructure for a patient-centered medical home. Am J Manag Care. 2013;19:509-16. [PMID: 23844711] MedlineGoogle Scholar8. Bodenheimer T, Sinsky C. From triple to quadruple aim: care of the patient requires care of the provider. Ann Fam Med. 2014;12:573-6. [PMID: 25384822] doi:10.1370/afm.1713 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois.Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and should not be interpreted as an official position of the American Medical Association.Disclosures: The author has disclosed no conflicts of interest. The form can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M16-0008.Corresponding Author: Christine A. Sinsky, MD, American Medical Association, 330 North Wabash Avenue, Suite 39300, Chicago, IL 60611-5885; e-mail, christine.[email protected]org.This article was published at www.annals.org on 2 February 2016. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoMedical Assistant–Based Care Management for High-Risk Patients in Small Primary Care Practices Tobias Freund , Frank Peters-Klimm , Cynthia M. Boyd , Cornelia Mahler , Jochen Gensichen , Antje Erler , Martin Beyer , Matthias Gondan , Justine Rochon , Ferdinand M. Gerlach , and Joachim Szecsenyi Metrics 1 March 2016Volume 164, Issue 5Page: 370-371KeywordsAmbulancesHealth information technologyHospitalizationsInterleukinsNursesPharmacistsPrimary care physiciansQuality of lifeResidencyRunning ePublished: 2 February 2016 Issue Published: 1 March 2016 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2016 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...