9th Annual Conference

Group medical visits (GMVs), sometimes known as shared medical appointments, have been widely implemented in community health centers and other safety-net care settings. Research suggests that GMVs can improve patient health outcomes as well as both patient and provider satisfaction with care, and may reduce health care disparities. The bulk of existing research on GMVs focuses on prenatal care models (particularly Centering Pregnancy) and diabetes care. However, GMVs are also used for a broad range of other health conditions, including chronic pain and well-child care, as well as to increase access to specific kinds of care such as acupuncture and yoga. The upcoming special issue of Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine will present a set of current GMV projects, including many from the safety-net. However, many safety-net clinics are spearheading clinical innovation through GMVs but are under-resourced and unable to conduct research on their programs. It is likely that existing research does not reflect the diversity of safety-net GMV programs. Expanding collaboration between researchers and experienced clinical staff will allow for better understanding of how GMVs may benefit patients and providers alike.

In this session we will bring together clinic staff and researchers to:
Familiarize ourselves with one another’s work
Discuss our priorities for future research on safety-net GMV programs
Develop potential collaborations between researchers and clinic staff to advance these priorities through specific research projects

Presenter 1: Researcher focused on safety-net group medical visits with additional experience in group visit facilitation.
Presenter 2: Integrative physician who runs the country's largest safety-net group visit program and provides group visits trainings around the US.
Presenter 3: Integrative nurse-practitioner who founded an integrative group visit program and is engaged in research on group visits.

Group medical visits; interprofessional collaboration; research; health equity

Group Discussion/Working Groups: offer a forum and provide a framework for attendees to work in small groups to share experiences and identify best-practices in professional scenarios.

Attendees should have some knowledge and experience in the subject matter