The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing weaknesses in Rhode Island's primary care system, like the failure of the fee-for-service payment system, Medicaid reimbursement inadequacies, and the need for greater community-clinical system collaboration and linkages. Weaknesses in our system greatly impact Rhode Islanders' health and well-being.
As the state looks toward reopening schools, Rhode Island is putting public health first and relying on facts and science to make the best decisions for the mental, physical, and intellectual needs of students. Students benefit enormously from in-person learning, and it's important the state can make school happen in-person safely.
The first round of course participants completed CTC-RI's online Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) Practice Facilitation training program that was offered from March to June 2020. Overall, the participants evaluated the course "highly to very highly" and rated the usefulness of the training content "very to extremely" useful. Dr.
CTC-RI still encourages RI provider participation in the Larry A. Green Center / Primary Care Collaborative Clinician Survey. The survey is now scheduled biweekly and surveys can be found on the PCC website as we move into back-to-school and/or flu season.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased levels of telemedicine use never before seen in primary care, with practices and patients seeking care through a combination of remote and in-person services. In response, with funding from UnitedHealthcare, CTC
CTC-RI Community Health Teams (CHTs) make a great impact on the patients they serve. The client stories we hear when our teams collaborate monthly solidify how committed our CHTs are to helping Rhode Islanders live stable, healthy lives. CHTs are an important piece of an enhanced and integrated primary care system for RI.
The mission of CTC-RI is to support the continuing transformation of primary care in Rhode Island as the foundation of an ever-improving integrated, accessible, affordable, and equitable health care system. CTC-RI brings together critical stakeholders to implement, evaluate and spread effective multi-payer models to deliver, pay for and sustain high-quality, comprehensive, accountable primary care.