Implementation of Women's Health Patient Aligned Care Teams

VA has undertaken a major initiative to transform care through implementation of Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACTs). Based on the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) concept, PACT aims to improve access, continuity, coordination and comprehensiveness using team-based care that is patient-driven and patient-centered. However, how VA should adapt PACT to meet the needs of special populations, such as women Veterans, is yet to be worked out. The main goal of this study was to develop and test an evidence-based quality improvement (EBQI) approach to adapting and implementing PACT for women Veterans, incorporating comprehensive women's health care in gender-sensitive care environments, thereby accelerating achievement of PACT tenets for women Veterans and reducing persistent gender disparities in VA quality of care.