Mid Coast Medical Group

Mid Coast Medical Group logo

Mid Coast Medical Group (MCMG) is comprised of more than 100 providers in 4 primary care and 18 specialty practices located in Bath, Brunswick, and Topsham, Maine. MCMG is a department of Mid Coast Hospital, which is part of Mid Coast–Parkview Health, a dynamic healthcare system addressing a full continuum of community health, wellness, and prevention needs.

MCMG has had a Patient Advisory Group since December 2013 but it was restructured in January 2018 as part of its TCPi work. Currently, five patient and family advisors serve as members of the Patient Advisory Group; MCMG hopes to recruit additional members this fall. Between three and five MCMG administrative leaders also attend meetings. The Advisory Group meets monthly for one hour and has a structured agenda and minutes for each meeting. The current facilitator for the Advisory Group is Laura Larssen, Project Manager, MCMG Practice Transformation Initiative.

Since restructuring in January, the Patient Advisory Group has worked on a number of projects, including:

  • Patient portal
    Provided input for new processes to ensure more timely communication and training for staff.
  • Referrals from primary care to specialty practices
    Offered suggestions for ensuring consistency in referral processes, especially related to the communication of test results. Follow-up work is now being done by the Clinical Excellence Committee to ensure that all team members are following the processes.
  • Patient materials for annual wellness visits
    Reviewed patient information materials and recommended changes. The revised materials were shown to the Advisory Group at a follow-up meeting.
  • Letter announcing that a clinician was leaving a practice
    Suggested revisions for a letter being sent to patients and families.
  • Patient Advisor Recruitment Card
    Recommended revisions for the recruitment card to better achieve the goal of increasing the number and diversity of advisors.
  • Advance Directives and Palliative Care
    Discussed advance directives and palliative care and their integration into MCMG’s care.

The Patient Advisory Group has also participated in a joint meeting with the PFAC at Mid Coast Hospital. Together they learned about the strategic priorities of Mid Coast-Parkview Health and explored how both groups could play a role in improving the experience and continuity of care across all settings. Two members of the MCMG Patient Advisory Group are full members of the Mid Coast Hospital PFAC. A second joint meeting will be held in September 2018 when Bev Johnson, IPFCC President and CEO, conducts a TCPi coaching site visit, supported by the ACP SAN.