Phrases abound for the imminent future of team healthcare. Whether it's accountable care, coordinated care, medical home, or even the uber-approach of patient-centered medical community, the underlying notion is that all caregivers practice at the top of their license to essentially put patients front-and-center.
Each of those models is, of course, distinct. And particular to its own membership the American Medical Association at its annual meeting voted on a description of what it dubbed "team-based medical healthcare".
More comprehensive than succinct, then, the AMA definition is:
"The consistent use by a physician of the leadership knowledge, skills and expertise necessary to identify, engage and elicit from each team member the unique set of training, experience and qualifications needed to help patients achieve their goals, and to supervise the application of these skills."
That came from a report the AMA's Council on Medical Services compiled to investigate how its members can strategically implement "innovative care models" to simultaneously improve quality and slash costs. The report also points to other areas physicians would be wise to consider, most notably the art of practice management and specific clinical roles and responsibilities each employee should be responsible for.
"The policy will help physicians transition to new care models by promoting flexibility to develop practice designs based on physician needs, the populations they serve, relevant state laws, and protection from the burdens that would come from a one-size-fits-all approach," said AMA president Ardis D. Hoven, MD, in a prepared statement.
Also at the annual meeting, the AMA announced that Steven J. Stack, MD, was named president-elect. Stack will serve a one-year term in that post before taking over as AMA president in June 2015.
Stack, an emergency physician in Lexington, Ky., will be 43-years old during his tenure, making him the youngest AMA president in 100 years.
This article originally appeared on Medical Practice Insider.