Time may be right for primary care center

Research shows that team-based care among primary care practitioners — defined officially as physician assistants, nurse practitioners and physicians from specialties such as general internal medicine, general pediatrics and family medicine — works best.

But what model of team care and what kind of education and training needs to happen to ensure the best primary care for Nebraskans has yet to be determined.

From left: Darwin Brown, Paul Paulman, M.D., and Mary Cramer, Ph.D., listen to a question from John Benson, M.D., during a panel discussion regarding a potential center for primary care education, research and patient care at UNMC. Brown and Drs. Paulman and Cramer were panelists and Dr. Benson was the discussion’s moderator.

The formation of a center for primary care education, research and patient care at UNMC could be a good first step toward a clearer primary care picture in the state, panel members said Thursday during a discussion at the UNMC Strategic Planning Retreat.

“A center would be a great place to begin a collective dialogue to learn how to work together, which is where the focus needs to be,” said panelist Mary Cramer, Ph.D., chairwoman and associate professor of community based health in the College of Nursing.

Such a center could be a strong first step in breaking down silos between the professions that provide primary care, said panelist Darwin Brown, assistant professor in the School of Allied Health Professions’ physician assistant program.

Brown also noted that the center would allow for research to determine what kind of primary care teams would work best for Nebraska’s various patient populations.

Other retreat stories Read previous stories from the UNMC Strategic Planning Retreat about: Advancing UNMC’s Clinical and Translational Research capabilities; and Strategic planning’s impact on UNMC.

Panelist Paul Paulman, M.D., professor of family medicine, said a center of excellence would attract better students and clinicians who want to be involved with the latest and best developments and expertise in primary care.

“There are strengths and weakness in each of the major units of primary care and such a center would allow us to build on and use each other’s strengths to provide a better product for our patients and learners,” Dr. Paulman said.

The impending burden of an aging population on the primary care workforce could make such a center essential, UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., said during the comment section of the discussion.

“Centers of excellence are the best way to become the best and the time may be right for this kind of center in Nebraska,” Dr. Maurer said. “Carpe diem.”