Maryland's Integration of Public Health and Primary Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Case Study and Lessons Learned.

Abstract

The Maryland Primary Care Program is a statewide advanced primary care program that works directly with practices to transform healthcare delivery by managing chronic disease, preventing unnecessary hospital utilization, and integrating with the public health system. The Maryland Primary Care Program has demonstrated how linking the public health system to primary care practices, paired with strategic financial and resource investments in primary care, can enable the delivery of high-value care and reduce acute hospital utilization. Such a system is especially prudent when responding to crises. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maryland Primary Care Program was able to capitalize on existing infrastructure to quickly engage primary care in a robust pandemic response. Successes of this relationship included early and consistent communication channels, as well as coordinated resource distribution. In particular, this partnership allowed primary care providers, the most trusted source of healthcare in patients' lives, to directly provide patients with health information and vaccines. Now comprising more than 500 practices, this vaccine program uses data-driven reports to facilitate intentional vaccine outreach. The program has enabled a more equitable vaccine distribution system, resulting in over 400,000 vaccines administered in Maryland counties. The effectiveness of Maryland's integrated response indicates that partnerships between public health and primary care will result in an effective response in future times of crisis.