Carl in the Nexus

Submitted by National Center... on Apr 3, 2017 - 11:59am CDT

To elucidate a new and imagined way of systems thinking about the Nexus, the National Center Team first introduced Amina in the Nexus. Through Amina’s story, individuals see the potential of the Nexus to align health care redesign and interprofessional education to achieve the Triple Aim of improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations and reducing the per capita cost of health care.

To demonstrate a boots-on-the-ground Nexus, we are pleased to introduce Carl in the Nexus, adapted from the Oregon Health & Science University’s real-life implementation of IPE in the Interprofessional Care Access Network (I-CAN) program in the community.

An Interview with Peggy Wros from OHSU

The National Center had the opportunity to speak with Peggy Wros about the OSHU I-CAN program, the development of Carl in the Nexus, and how this program has been able to demonstrate both health and cost outcomes.

Peggy_interview_shorter.mp3

About Carl

The Carl in the Nexus story is based on a true-life Nexus program, I-CAN, which has been implemented at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). This program successfully connects education and community health systems with students providing care in interprofessional teams, and is an exemplar of a Nexus. Results from the program show positive results for I-CAN clients, including:

63% increase primary care access
53% increase health insurance utilization
27% stabilized housing.

Carl is an elderly man who with the chronic conditions of diabetes, heart disease, and emphysema. He lives alone in a single-room-occupancy unit in a large city, but struggles with everyday tasks, including taking his medication properly. As a result, his health is poor and he frequently goes to the emergency room for help.

The story explains Carl’s situation and how his ‘care and learning team’ of students, community members, and practitioners interact with him to ensure that he takes better care of himself and stays out of the emergency room.

Carl in the Nexus Resource and Facilitation Guide