Ruoff’s family practice: Team approach leads to high-quality care

Dr. Gary S. Ruoff, pictured with Teri Brady, family nurse practitioner, said of his practice in Traverse City: “We have a high-functioning team that operates much like a family.”

This is the fifth article in a series highlighting some top performers in the Patient-Centered Medical Home Designation Program.

Gary S. Ruoff, D.O., a family practitioner in Traverse City, firmly believes that a team approach is the best way to achieve high-quality care.

“We have a high-functioning team that operates much like a family,” he said. “As a result, we experienced very little turnover during the pandemic, which is a testament to our shared commitment to providing the best possible care to patients.”

Dr. Ruoff’s team-based approach is rooted in the Patient-Centered Medical Home model of care. The practice has been part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s  Patient-Centered Medical Home designation program for more than 10 years.

“The PCMH Interpretive Guidelines provide a great outline for delivering high-quality care and holding the practice accountable to ensure they have a standardized and documented process to catch any patients who might otherwise fall through the cracks,” he said.

To further help patients, the practice has added care management to the array of services they provide, which has been helpful in engaging patients who need additional support and closing gaps in care. “The use of care management, registries and other PCMH tools has helped us to not only manage individual patients, but better manage the entire patient population,” he said.

Advice for other practices

The first step in implementing PCMH capabilities, Dr. Ruoff said, is to assess which capabilities are most relevant to the practice, with an end goal of improving patient outcomes, enhancing the patient experience and reducing costs. “It’s crucial to create processes and procedures with this framework in mind,” he said.

He added that building a strong team of committed staff members who work well together is crucial for success. And he recommends that practices engage with their physician organization early on to learn from others who have gone through the same journey.

Other articles in this series

Check out the following four articles, which appeared in previous issues of The Record:

• “The Pediatric Place: Creating a centralized hub to facilitate information exchange”
• “MyMichigan Family Practice Center: Building a high-functioning team”
• “Bronson Internal Medicine: Embracing team-based care to support patients”
• "Forest Hills Pediatric Associates: Using PCMH and Collaborative Care to better serve patients”

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a PCMH-designated practice, talk with your physician organization or send an email to valuepartnerships@bcbsm.com.