Examining primary healthcare performance through a triple aim lens

Authors

Bridget L. Ryan, Schulich School of Medicine & DentistryFollow
Judith Belle Brown, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Richard H. Glazier, Saint Michael's Hospital University of Toronto
Brian Hutchison, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2016

Journal

Healthcare Policy

Volume

11

Issue

3

First Page

19

Last Page

31

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.12927/hcpol.2016.24521

Abstract

Purpose: This study sought to apply a Triple Aim framework to the measurement and evaluation of primary healthcare (PHC) team performance. Methods: Triple Aim components were populated with 10 dimensions derived from survey and health administrative data for 17 Family Health Teams (FHTs) in Ontario, Canada. Bivariate analyses and rankings of sites examined the relationships among dimensions and among Triple Aim components. Results: Readily available measures to fully populate the Triple Aim framework were lacking in FHTs. Within sites, there was little consistency in performance across the Triple Aim components (health, patient experience and cost). Conclusions: More and better measures are needed that can be readily used to examine the Triple Aim performance in PHC teams. FHTs, in this study, are partially achieving Triple Aim goals; however, there was a lack of consistency in performance. It is essential to collect appropriate measures and attend to performance across all components of the Triple Aim.