Twenty primary care practices won $2.9 million in grants from the Colorado Health Foundation to help them improve team-based care. The practices each won up to $150,000 in grants or zero interest loans.
Tanya Weinberg , senior program officer for the Foundation, says a goal is to help cope with a shortage of primary care providers. Research shows collaboration yields better and more affordable care.
“If you can create a team where the other members of the team can do more and more for helping the patients, then those top level providers, the doctors and the [physician assistants] or the nurse practitioners, have more time to devote to additional patients,” said Weinberg.
Ten practices are in the Denver area, the other ten are around the state, including Grand Junction and the San Luis valley.
Editor's note: Colorado Health Foundation supports health reporting at Colorado Public Radio.