The methods and costs to enroll small primary care practices in large, regional quality improvement initiatives are unknown, according to a recently published article in the Annals of Family Medicine entitled “Engaging Primary Care Practices in Studies of Improvement: Did You Budget Enough for Practice Recruitment?” Lyle Fagnan, MD, et al, explored the recruitment approach, cost, and resources required to recruit and enroll 500 practices in the Northwest and Midwest regional cooperatives participating in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-funded initiative, EvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health in Primary Care.
The researchers found that recruiting practices for large-scale practice quality improvement transformation initiatives is difficult and costly. The cost of recruiting practices without existing partnerships costs seven times more than reaching out to familiar practices. The research suggests that investigators initiating and studying practice quality improvement initiatives should budget adequate funds to support high-touch recruitment strategies, including building trusted, long-term relationships for a year or more.
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“ Technical Assistance for Primary Care Practice Transformation: Did You Budget Enough for Practice Recruitment? ” by Lyle Fagnan, MD, et al, Portland Oregon
http://www.annfammed.org/content/16/Suppl_1/S72
The Annals of Family Medicine