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Codell N, Kelley AT, Jones AL, Dungan MT, Valentino N, Holtey AI, Knight TJ, Butz A, Gallop C, Erickson S, Patton J, Hyte-Richins LJ, Rollins BZ, Gordon AJ. Aims, development, and early results of an interdisciplinary primary care initiative to address patient vulnerabilities. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse. 2021 Mar 4; 47(2):160-169.
Addressing substance use disorders and social determinants of poor health at a population level is a major national healthcare priority. One promising model to improve healthcare outcomes for patients with these conditions is the Vulnerable Veteran Innovative Patient-Aligned Care Team (PACT) Initiative, or VIP - an interdisciplinary, team-based primary care delivery model designed to address the needs of vulnerable patients in the Veterans Health Administration. VIP establishes a single, integrated primary care environment for the management of substance use disorders, mental illness, social determinants of poor health, and complexities in care resulting from the co-occurrence of these conditions. We describe the origination, goals, and evolution of VIP to provide an example of how clinics and health systems can address vulnerable patient populations within a primary care clinic framework. While ongoing evaluation will be essential to understand its impact on patient outcomes and its sustainability and scalability in the future, VIP holds promise as a novel model to improve care for patients with addiction and other vulnerabilities.