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Practice Facilitation Handbook

Training Modules for New Facilitators and Their Trainers

 

The Practice Handbook has been updated and expanded and published as the Primary Care Practice Facilitation Curriculum. Below is a crosswalk between the modules of the Practice Handbook and the Primary Care Practice Facilitation Curriculum.

 

Practice Facilitation Handbook cover page image

Alternate Formats

(Handbook | 2.4 MB)

(Appendices | 11.1 MB)

Crosswalk

Practice Facilitation Handbook Primary Care Practice Facilitation Curriculum
Introduction
Preface
Module 1: Instructor’s Guide to Using the PCPF Curriculum
Module 1 Practice Facilitation as a Resource for Practice Improvement Module 2: Practice Facilitation as a Resource for Practice Improvement
Module 3: The Primary Care Landscape
Module 4: An Introduction to Practice Organization and Management
Module 2. Working With Safety Net Practices Module 5: Special Considerations When Working With Safety Net Practices
Module 3. An Overview of the Facilitation Process Module 6: An Overview of the Facilitation Process
Module 7: Professionalism for Practice Facilitators
Module 4. Approaches to Quality Improvement Module 8: Approaches to Quality Improvement
Module 9: Using Appreciative Inquiry with Practices
Module 5. Mapping and Redesigning Workflow Module 10: Mapping and Redesigning Workflow
Module 11: Using Root Cause Analysis to Help Practices Understand and Improve Their Performance and Outcomes
Module 6. Assessing Practices Module 12: An Introduction to Assessing Practices: Issues to Consider
Module 7. Measuring and Benchmarking Clinical Performance Module 13. Measuring and Benchmarking Clinical Performance
Module 8. Managing and Reporting Performance Data Using Chart Audits Module 14: Collecting Performance Data Using Chart Audits and Electronic Data Extraction
Module 9: Preparing and Presenting Performance Data Module 15: Preparing and Presenting Performance Data
Module 10. Academic Detailing as a Quality Improvement Tool Module 16: Academic Detailing as a Quality Improvement Tool
Module 11. Introducing a Practice to Facilitation Module 17: Introducing a Practice to Facilitation
Module 12. Assessing Practice Readiness for Change Module 18: Assessing Practice Readiness for Change
Module 13. Conducting a Kickoff Meeting Module 19: Conducting a Kickoff Meeting
Module 14. Creating Quality Improvement Teams and QI Plans Module 20: Creating Quality Improvement Teams and QI Plans
Module 21: Working With and Supporting Practice Leaders
Module 22. Running Effective Meetings and Creating Capacity for Practices to Run Effective Meetings
Module 15. Documenting Your Work With Practices Module 23: Documenting Your Work With Practices
Module 16. Introduction to the Care Model Module 24: Introduction to the Care Model
Module 25: The Patient-Centered Medical Home: Principles and Recognition Processes
Module 17. Electronic Health Records and Meaningful Use Module 26: An Introduction to Electronic Health Records and Meaningful Use
Module 27: Helping Practices Optimize EHRs for Patient-Centered Medical Home Transformation and Quality Improvement
Module 18. Using the AHRQ Care Model Toolkit With Practices Module 28: Using the AHRQ Care Model Toolkit with Practices
Module 19. Implementing Care Teams Module 29: Implementing Care Teams
Module 30: Building Teams in Primary Care
Module 20. Facilitating Panel Management Module 31: Facilitating Panel Management
Module 21. Improving Self-Management Support Module 32: Improving Self-Management Support and Engaging Patients in Care and Practice Improvement Topic

 

Contents

About This Handbook
How To Use This Handbook

Part 1. Introduction to Practice Facilitation

Module 1 Trainer’s Guide: Practice Facilitation as a Resource for Practice Improvement
Module 1. Practice Facilitation as a Resource for Practice Improvement
Module 2 Trainer’s Guide: Working With Safety Net Practices
Module 2. Working With Safety Net Practices
Module 3 Trainer’s Guide: An Overview of the Facilitation Process
Module 3. An Overview of the Facilitation Process

Part 2. Core Competencies for Practice Facilitators

Module 4 Trainer’s Guide: Approaches to Quality Improvement
Module 4. Approaches to Quality Improvement
Module 5 Trainer’s Guide: Mapping and Redesigning Workflow
Module 5. Mapping and Redesigning Workflow
Module 6 Trainer’s Guide: Assessing Practices
Module 6. Assessing Practices
Module 7 Trainer’s Guide: Measuring and Benchmarking Clinical Performance
Module 7. Measuring and Benchmarking Clinical Performance
Module 8 Trainer’s Guide: Managing Performance Data Using Chart Audits
Module 8. Managing and Reporting Performance Data Using Chart Audits
Module 9 Trainer’s Guide: Preparing and Presenting Data
Module 9: Preparing and Presenting Performance Data
Module 10 Trainer’s Guide: Academic Detailing as a Quality Improvement Tool
Module 10. Academic Detailing as a Quality Improvement Tool

Part 3. In the Practice

Module 11 Trainer’s Guide: Introducing a Practice to Facilitation
Module 11. Introducing a Practice to Facilitation
Module 12 Trainer’s Guide: Assessing Practice Readiness for Change
Module 12. Assessing Practice Readiness for Change
Module 13 Trainer’s Guide: Conducting a Kickoff Meeting
Module 13. Conducting a Kickoff Meeting
Module 14 Trainer’s Guide: Creating Quality Improvement Teams and QI Plans
Module 14. Creating Quality Improvement Teams and QI Plans
Module 15 Trainer’s Guide: Documenting Your Work With Practices
Module 15. Documenting Your Work With Practices

Part 4. Implementing the Care Model and Patient-Centered Medical Home

Module 16 Trainer’s Guide: Introduction to the Care Model
Module 16. Introduction to the Care Model
Module 17. Trainer’s Guide: Electronic Health Records and Meaningful Use
Module 17. Electronic Health Records and Meaningful Use
Module 18 Trainer’s Guide: Using the AHRQ Care Model Toolkit With Practices
Module 18. Using the AHRQ Care Model Toolkit With Practices
Module 19 Trainer’s Guide: Implementing Care Teams
Module 19. Implementing Care Teams
Module 20 Trainer’s Guide: Facilitating Panel Management
Module 20. Facilitating Panel Management
Module 21 Trainer’s Guide: Improving Self-Management Support
Module 21. Improving Self-Management Support

Appendices

Module 1 Appendix [PDF - 858.76 KB]
Module 2 Appendix
Module 3 Appendix [PowerPoint - 140.35 KB]
Module 4 Appendix
Module 5 Appendix [PowerPoint - 652.38 KB]
Module 6 Appendix
Module 8 Appendices (Part A), (Part B), (Part C)

Module 10 Appendix
Module 12, Appendix B
Module 14 Appendix
Module 15 Appendix B
Module 17 Appendix [PowerPoint - 513.22 KB]
Module 19 Appendix 
Module 20 Appendices (Part A), (Part B), (Part C)
Module 21 Appendix

About This Handbook

The Practice Facilitatation Handbook is designed to assist in the training of new practice facilitators as they begin to develop the knowledge and skills needed to support meaningful improvement in primary care practices. It evolved from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Integrating Chronic Care and Business Strategies in the Safety Net toolkit. That toolkit was developed to aid safety net practices in implementing the Chronic Care Model, now commonly referred to as the Care Model, in their practices.

The handbook consists of 21 training modules, each 30 to 90 minutes long with varying requirements for presession preparation for learners. Each module contains a Trainer’s Guide, which includes a checklist of materials, the learning objectives for the session, and a list of readings and activities designed to develop basic knowledge and skills. The modules are organized into four parts:

  • Part 1 is a basic introduction to practice facilitation and work with safety net practices and includes an overview of a typical facilitation process.
  • Part 2 presents core competencies for practice facilitators. It aims to build expertise that is valuable for facilitators regardless of the topic. Core competencies include quality improvement and measurement skills.
  • Part 3 provides training in common tasks a facilitator may undertake in practice settings, such as assessing readiness for change, preparing a practice to work with a facilitator, holding kickoff meetings, and tracking progress with practices.
  • Part 4 includes modules specifically targeting facilitators working with practices that are implementing the Care Model or transforming into patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). Both the Care Model and PCMH promote changing delivery systems to encourage responsiveness to patients’ needs and preferences.

This handbook is not a comprehensive facilitator training curriculum. The content of the training materials is based on the core and specialized competencies that a practice facilitator needs to support a practice in implementing the change package contained in the Integrating Chronic Care and Business Strategies in the Safety Net toolkit. Other excellent facilitation resources are available, many of which we have referenced and did not want to duplicate. These resources, however, are diffuse. We have assembled a compendium to make it easy for trainers to introduce new facilitators to information and skills they must master to successfully improve quality, particularly in safety net practices working on Care Model or PCMH implementation.

How To Use This Handbook

This handbook is designed to be used by a trainer as a resource when preparing new facilitators to work with primary care practices. A new facilitator may use it directly as a resource for self-study. The use and sequence of the modules should be tailored to learners’ needs. Not all facilitators will benefit from all modules.

The training materials follow principles of adult education: Individuals learn best when the educational process is interactive and when the existing expertise and experience of the learner is recognized and used as a resource in the training. The trainer is encouraged to incorporate the activities suggested in each module into their trainings as well as others they may have used in the past. Whenever possible, the trainer is encouraged to invite experienced practice facilitators from each group to co-teach specific modules and to include discussion of their “real world” experiences in the practice.

The training sessions should be tailored to meet the needs of the learner and the facilitation program that is sponsoring the training. The modules may be delivered as an intensive workshop of multiple hours or days, or in a series, such as weekly forums. The materials are designed primarily for onsite delivery to a group of learners but can be adapted for delivery through virtual conferencing. To deliver virtually, the trainer will need to modify the interactive elements of each module to fit the virtual environment.

Training a group of learners allows for interactive learning methods such as group discussions and role plays. The modules can, however, be adapted for individualized self-study. In these cases, the learner may complete the professional development plan contained in Module 1 and craft a learning agenda tailored to this plan. Interactive sections that require group participation can be eliminated or modified. For example, the learner may record responses to discussion questions in a journal.

Authors:

Lyndee Knox, LA Net
Cindy Brach, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality

This manual is based on research conducted under contract with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Rockville, MD, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Contract No. HHSA290200710010). The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the authors, who are responsible for its content, and do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. No statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This document is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without permission except those copyrighted materials that are clearly noted in the document. Further reproduction of those copyrighted materials is prohibited without the specific permission of copyright holders.

Publication: 13-0046-EF

Page last reviewed May 2018
Page originally created June 2013

Internet Citation: Practice Facilitation Handbook. Content last reviewed May 2018. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
https://archive.ahrq.gov/ncepcr/tools/pf-handbook/index.html

 

The information on this page is archived and provided for reference purposes only.

 

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