ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉú

Abstract

The Fraser Health Multiple Sclerosis Clinic in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, implements a “5 C” approach to the collaborative care of multiple sclerosis patients. This model includes evaluation and management of medical, psychological, social, and rehabilitative services related to multiple sclerosis in-clinic or virtually. The model has yielded high patient satisfaction and improved patient outcomes due to the integration of specialists and accessibility to cognitive and mobility assessments. The model has led to increased communication and collaboration among the care team and decreased administrative burden and overhead costs.

Introduction

Providing comprehensive, coordinated care is a common goal for health care institutions and systems across the world. This can be difficult to fund and implement in practice, especially within the confines of a given health care system that may be riddled with fragmentation. There are several patient populations, such as multiple sclerosis patients, that require care from a subset of multidisciplinary providers and would benefit from a comprehensive, coordinated approach where they have access to the various facets of their care in a coordinated, “one-stop shop” type of clinic.

The AAN’s Care Delivery Subcommittee, under the guidance of the Medical Economics and Practice Committee, continues to seek out and better understand different care delivery models, their core functions and features, and the professional and personal advantages and disadvantages of these models for neurologists and neurology APPs. The subcommittee expanded its perspective to explore the innovative care model that one of its members, Galina Vorobeychik, MD, FRCPC, FAANi, uses in her clinic in British Columbia, Canada. While the United States and Canada have different health care systems, the tenets of the care model may be widely applicable or aspirational for practices of all kinds.