American College of Physicians

Center for Practice Innovation: Creation of center to support small to mid-size practices in improving quality of patient care

Through funding provided by The Physicians Foundation, the American College of Physicians (ACP) created the Center for Practice Innovation to assist small and mid-size physician practices in improving clinically and operationally. The Center aimed to develop, assess and disseminate practice quality improvement innovations designed to enhance patient care and promote quality in internal medicine offices with fewer than 10 physicians. Thirty small internal medicine practices across 14 states were selected to pilot the tools and strategies offered through the Center with the goal of determining an effectively model of on-site and remote support. Shortly after the completion of the grant, ACP staff began developing the ACP Medical Home Builder, an interactive online program to provide remote guidance for entire practice teams. By mid-2010, over 1,500 practices had started using the Medical Home Builder. Today, the ACP team offers an even more robust and full-featured program designed to improve patient care and office efficiency.