Association Between Difficulty with VA Patient-Centered Medical Home Model Components and Provider Emotional Exhaustion and Intent to Remain in Practice

Background The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model is intended to improve primary care, but evidence of its effects on provider well-being is mixed. Investigating the relationships between specific PCMH components and provider burnout and potential attrition may help improve the efficacy of the care model. Objective We analyzed provider attitudes toward specific components of PCMH in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) and their relation to emotional exhaustion (EE)—a central component of burnout—and intent to remain in VA primary care. Design Logistic regression analysis of a cross-sectional survey. Subjects 116 providers (physicians; nurse practitioners; physician assistants) in 21 practices between September 2015 and January 2016 in one VA region. Main Measures Outcomes: burnout as measured with the emotional exhaustion (EE) subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and intent to remain in VA primary care for the next 2 years; predictors: difficulties with components of PCMH, demographic characteristics. Key Results Forty percent of providers reported high EE (≥ 27 points) and 63% reported an intent to remain in VA primary care for the next 2 years. Providers reporting high difficultly with PCMH elements were more likely to report high EE, for example, coordinating with specialists (odds ratio [OR] 8.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.58–19.33), responding to EHR alerts (OR 6.88; 95% CI 1.93–24.43), and managing unscheduled visits (OR 7.53, 95% CI 2.01–28.23). Providers who reported high EE were also 87% less likely to intend to remain in VA primary care. Conclusions To reduce EE and turnover in PCMH, primary care providers may need additional support and training to address challenges with specific aspects of the model.