ACP, ABFM, AAFP receive Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative awards

HHS has awarded $685 million to 39 health care networks and organizations as part of the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative, according to a press release.

The awards, part of a strategy promoted by the Affordable Care Act, will provide more than 140,000 clinicians with both support and tools necessary to improve quality of care, reduce costs and increase patient access to information, as detailed in the release.

"Supporting doctors and other health care professionals change the way they work is critical to improving quality and spending our health care dollars more wisely," Sylvia M. Burwell, HHS secretary, said in the release. "These awards will give patients more of the information they need to make informed decisions about their care and give clinicians access to information and support to improve care coordination and quality outcomes."

The American College of Physicians (ACP) will receive up to $3 million and a partnership of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) will receive up to $538,000.

The ACP stated that it will support 30,000 physicians improve their care and provide ACP Practice Advisor modules to aid in transformation. The ABFM and AAFP will support 25,000 to 40,000 clinicians as well as develop a learning collaborative and offer guides for practice transformation.

"The American Academy of Family Physicians is pleased to support the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative," Robert Wergin, MD, AAFP president, said in a release. "Together with the ABFM, we will work to support recruitment for and communication about the important work being done to facilitate practice transformation for large and small practices to strengthen the quality of patient care and spend health care dollars more wisely."