Office of Primary Care and Rural Health

Health Professionals/Students

Primary Care Physicians Advisory Committee (PCPAC)

• Mission
• What is PCPAC?
• Schedule
• Report of the Primary Care Physician Advisory Committee Mental Health Workgroup

Mission:

To advise the Director of Health on programming and policy issues that support primary care in Rhode Island.

What is PCPAC?

(From Medicine & Health/Rhode Island, Vol.83, No.5, May 2000, page 135)

Established in 1992, PCPAC advises the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) on programmatic and policy issues. PCPAC consists of primary care physicians representing each of the primary care academies, the medical society and hospital and community-based practitioners. It meets monthly with staff support from the Office of Primary Care in HEALTH.

Meetings typically focus on one topic, with stakeholders invited to participate. Recent topics include standardized forms and policies for school health requirements, children’s mental health services, physician-to-physician conflict resolution, improving access to specialty clinics for RIte Care members, and emergency room prior-authorization requirements.

Since many of these issues involve a broad range of stakeholders, PCPAC is instrumental in the promotion of collaborative problem solving. Throughout the years, PCPAC has brought hospitals, community-based providers, insurance companies, and HEALTH and its sister state agencies to the proverbial table. PCPAC has proven to be one of the most efficient and effective means to promote inter-organizational collaboration focused on improving primary care in Rhode Island.