What is the Primary Care Initiative Evaluation?
The Evaluation of the Primary Care Initiative (PCI) is designed to assess changes in primary care services in Alberta as a result of the 2003 trilateral agreement between Alberta Health and Wellness, the Alberta Health Regions (now Alberta Health Services) and the Alberta Medical Association. The goal of the evaluation is to yield objective information that will assist in enhancing primary care capacity in Alberta; help to set future direction for primary care, show value for resources invested in the PCI; and help to define the role of primary care in a sustainable health care system.
How will the evaluation be done?
The evaluation will be completed in two phases:
Who is responsible for overseeing the evaluation of the Primary Care Initiative?
The Primary Care Initiative Committee (PCIC) – the governance committee for the Primary Care Initiative (PCI)– established an Evaluation Advisory Committee (EAC) to provide guidance and advice on the evaluation project. The EAC is co-chaired by Lee Hall, Program Director for the PCI Program Management Office, and Dr. June Bergman, a family physician in the Calgary Foothills PCN. The committee includes representatives from PCI’s tri-lateral partners – the Alberta Medical Association, Alberta Health and Wellness, and Alberta Health Services – as well as from PCNs.
The PCI Evaluation will be overseen by the PCI Evaluation Advisory Committee, who will report on the evaluation to the PCIC. The evaluation team at R.A. Malatest & Associates will work closely with, and under the guidance and direction of, the EAC at all phases of the project. This will include formally presenting findings to the EAC, as well as attending meetings. The EAC will review draft evaluation reports before they are forwarded to the PCIC. The EAC may make suggestions concerning the content of the report, but the conclusions contained in the final report are the responsibility of Malatest.
Who are the members on the Evaluation Advisory Committee?
The members are:
Who will the evaluation reports be sent to?
Regular progress reports, as well as the final reports, will be provided through the Primary Care Initiative Committee (PCIC) to Alberta Health and Wellness, the Alberta Medical Association and Alberta Health Services – the three partners in the Primary Care Initiative.
Who will be asked to participate in the evaluation?
For the first (formative) phase, the evaluation team will visit all Alberta PCNs in the summer of 2009. Surveys and face-to-face interviews will also be completed during the same time period. Evaluators want to speak with physicians, administrative leads and other PCN staff.
The second (summative) phase will involve similar activities – a visit from the evaluation team as well as surveys. Visits to PCNs for the summative evaluation phase will begin in 2010. However, this phase will also include a telephone survey with approximately 8000 Albertans, both those who receive primary care from a PCN and those whose family doctor is not part of a PCN.
How will PCN Administrative Leaders be involved in the evaluation?
PCN Administrative Leads will be asked to participate in or help coordinate the following activities:
What about physicians and other staff, both health professionals and support staff, working in the PCN – will they be consulted?
Physicians, health care professionals who do some or all of their work within the PCN, and PCN team members (i.e. support staff) will also be asked to complete a survey on their experiences working in the PCN. These individuals will be consulted in both phases of the evaluation.
Surveys can be completed online or by a number of other convenient methods (i.e. faxed in, conducted in person, etc.). Some clinics and/or individual health professionals will be asked to host brief tours of their facilities. These visits will not interfere with providing usual services to patients/clients.
Our PCN has already done some evaluation work or participated in primary care research projects. Is this initiative going to duplicate those efforts? How will this work and results be incorporated into this provincial evaluation?
We recognize that some PCNs may have been (or are currently) part of primary care research projects or individual PCN evaluations. It is our plan to identify opportunities to incorporate or leverage this information, as well as other information that is available through other sources such as Alberta Health Services or Alberta Health and Wellness, into this evaluation, thus avoiding duplication of work and efforts. Incorporating or leveraging existing evaluation and research information will also enhance the formal provincial evaluation’s ability to provide an effective foundation for subsequent evaluation activities.
Do I have to participate in the evaluation?
PCN participation is critical in this evaluation and it is part of the Master Agreement that provides funding to PCNs. Your input will provide valuable feedback for the purposes of this evaluation. We appreciate your cooperation and participation as the results from this evaluation will help determine future direction for primary care services in Alberta.
Will information collected be reported by individual PCN or as aggregate data?
While PCN specific information is being collected it will be reported as aggregate data not by individual PCNs.
Will PCNs be able to access data for their specific PCN?
PCNs will be receive aggregate data tables with information from their respective Networks, providing evaluators receive at least 20 completed surveys or completed surveys from 50 per cent of the PCN staff and physicians. Presenting data in this format will protect the anonymity of those individuals who responded.
I am a staff member who works in a PCN. How will my anonymity be protected in this process?
Every individual who works in a PCN in the province who wants to complete a survey will have the opportunity. Surveys are being distributed either directly to PCN staff and physicians from Malatest (the evaluation company) or through the Administrative Leader in the Network. Surveys can be sent back directly to Malatest or through your Administrative Leader.
What are the key timelines for the evaluation?
We recognize that the timelines for this evaluation are quite tight however it is necessary for us to complete this initiative, including the preparation of a final and summary report, by the December 2010. The following outlines the timelines that we expect to follow to guide the evaluation:
How will patients be identified for the second phase of the evaluation?
A process to identify patients to participate in the evaluation is still being finalized. Once the process is confirmed PCNs will be notified as their assistance will probably be required.
How can I stay informed as the evaluation progresses?
We will use a variety of communication tools to ensure that PCN staff are aware of this initiative and the progress being made. Information will be shared through direct communication with PCN Physicians, Administrative Leaders and staff, face-to-face meetings, PCI Forums, the PCI newsletter, and other venues as appropriate. We encourage you to share information on the evaluation with your team and the physicians in your PCN.
Who can I contact if I have more questions?
You can contact the PCI PMO by emailing communications@albertapci.ca.