There is an untapped capacity in community health centers for achieving high-functioning team-based care. Furthermore, there is a need to provide rapid assessment of how well teams operate in a busy health care environment. To this call of action, a leadership team at Community University Health Care Center (CUHCC) located in South Minneapolis sought to implement the Assessment of Collaborative Environments (ACE-15), a validated survey tool developed by Tilden (2016) to provide rapid assessment of team functioning.
CUHCC strives to lead in team-based care and recently launched five Integrated Care Teams for all staff and learners. The teams represent up to 22 different professions and meet bi-weekly for case consultation and interrelated team building skills. Innovative interventions were developed and implemented within the integrated care teams based on the ACE-15 Teamness survey results.
The research evidence describes the benefits of teaming in ambulatory care as a powerful effect for change to improve patient care and provider well-being (Christian, Krall, Hulkower & Stigleman, 2018; Bodenheimer & Sinsky, 2014; Shipman & Sinsky, 2013). However, a key determinant to successful implementation of collaborative practice within community health is establishing a culture that values each other (IPEC, 2016); an identified area for growth based the survey results of the ACE-15 Teamness assessment administered in December 2020.
The ACE-15 Teamness assessment tool provided CUHCC with data to identify areas of improvement for their teams. The ACE-15 Teamness assessment furthermore provided CUHCC with a quick and easy tool that can be implemented bi-annually as a form of on-going team measurement, a marker aside from clinical outcomes. The ACE-15 Teamness assessment has proven to be a supportive measurement tool for CUHCC to support larger governing projects and quality aims.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (OICPD). The OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the OICPD is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The OICPD maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change
