2006 Priority Health Quality Award Winner

Harbour View Family Medicine
According to Office Manager Kelly Plichta, Harbour View Family Medicine's ability to excel at meeting the Priority Health quality measures boils down to teamwork.

"Doctor involvement, that's the first thing," Plichta says. "And then having somebody to organize all this information, and then having a good tool to use, which Priority Health gave us."

The Patient Profile is a unique tool from Priority Health that gives providers updated patient information quickly and easily. Providers know what screenings, tests or immunizations their members need at the time of their office visits, and that simplifies keeping members up to date.

How seriously do practices take these scores? Plichta is still stung by the memory of the lone diabetic patient who did not receive a retinal exam in 2005, preventing Harbour View from receiving a 100% score on that PIP measure. Her concern is indicative of the kind of effort the Quality Award winners give. Plichta is quick to point out, however, that it's a team effort at Harbour View.

"I do not do all of the work; I just organize it," she says. "Everybody's worked really hard."

As in the case of the other winners, accountability for caring for members is shared across the staff. And when a patient gets better, the staff takes pride.

"If we have somebody with diabetes who has a high A1c or blood sugar and they come in and it's four or five points lower, we do get excited," Plichta says.