North Carolina Network Consortium - NCNC

Profile on Dr. Michelle Hernandez, our Pediatric and Adolescent Director.

Read about her journey as a physician and researcher using patient-center approaches.

Breathing Beyond Barriers - UNC Research Stories Michelle Hernandez is leading asthma research in rural communities across North Carolina to make care and clinical studies more accessible.

Dr. Lynne Fiscus, President and Chief Executive Officer at UNC Physicians Network shares her experience leading UNC Physicians Network through the challenges of Hurricane Helene. She emphasizes the importance of disaster preparedness in maintaining uninterrupted care for patients during crises. Dr. Fiscus discusses strategies implemented to address staffing shortages during the disaster, including innovative resource management and leadership under pressure, offering valuable lessons for healthcare organizations facing similar challenges.

Dr. Lynne Fiscus, President and Chief Executive Officer at UNC Physicians Network Dr. Lynne Fiscus, President and Chief Executive Officer at UNC Physicians Network shares her experience leading UNC Physicians Network through the challenges of Hurricane Helene. She emphasizes the importance of disaster preparedness in maintaining uninterrupted care for patients during crises. Dr.

NCNC is now on Blue Sky, follow us at .bsky.social

NCNC has published our Summer 2024 Newsletter

NCNC Newsletter Summer 2024 - North Carolina Network Consortium North American Primary Care Research Group Practice Based Research Network Conference Members from the NCNC Practice Based Research Networks attended the North American Primary Care Research Group’s Practice Based Research Network conference, in Reston Virginia on June 17-18, 2024. Jennifer…Read...

It's 2024, and we'd like to acknowledge the important collaboration with our community health center partners. One program that works with many health centers throughout the state is the NC Formerly Incarcerated Transition (NC FIT) Program. NC FIT was launched in the department in 2019, and will soon be expanding to its 8th county, with Forsyth County joining Durham, Orange, Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Beaufort, and New Hanover Counties.

NC FIT now supports 19 Community Health Worker positions and operates a variety of programs focusing on people with serious mental illness (FIT Wellness); providing Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) prior to release and direct connection to services upon release (FIT Recovery); and lead the North Carolina Technical Assistance Center (NC-TAC), a statewide technical assistance team focused on reentry, harm reduction, jail-based MOUD and law enforcement diversion/deflection.

Pictured are NC FIT founder and director Evan Ashkin, MD (UNC Family Medicine faculty who also works with our Federally Qualified Health Center partners at Piedmont Health), and Manager of NC FIT's Community Health Workers Tommy Green, who works with patients at Orange County Health Department, NC.

Dr. Ryan Paulus, DO, is spearheading a transformative project to enhance point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training in family medicine. Recently approved by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) board, the initiative has received over $100,000 in funding thus far. The project includes a two-day national POCUS Summit scheduled for Summer 2025 and a 15-month Delphi Study to develop and implement national guidelines for POCUS Education in Family Medicine. Fellow UNC Family Physician Dr. Phil Sloane will be supporting Dr. Paulus in the Delphi Study.

"This funding and support from STFM underscore the critical need for enhancing POCUS training in family medicine," said Dr. Paulus. "Family medicine has a broad scope of POCUS. We need to come up with a consensus and guidelines on what to teach our residents."

Paulus will lead a national 12-person Task Force focused on establishing a national POCUS curriculum for family medicine residency programs. "Our goal is to create a robust, evidence-based guide that will shape the future of POCUS in family medicine," Dr. Paulus added. His leadership promises to revolutionize POCUS education in family medicine, ensuring that practitioners are well-equipped with POCUS skills and knowledge, ultimately leading to improved patient care.

One of the best things North Carolina can give patients around the state is committed preventive care. Primary care settings do this well: patients can return to see the same physicians over time, enjoying the conversations and exams that prevent small health concerns from becoming dangerous and costly threats. It adds to their comfort and improves their health.
But do you know how this committed preventive care saves money for the patients and the state? Preventive care is more cost-effective than treating advanced diseases. Costs decrease by addressing health issues earlier than later. This benefits patients and the health care system that needs to serve them. Here’s more you should know: ncprimarycare.org

Conversations on the State of Healthcare - NCHA: Exploring the Transformative Nature of Telehealth and Virtual Medicine \ Part One | RSS.com Virtual healthcare is changing the way that traditional medicine is being delivered. Ironically, treating some people from afar is actually increasing access to medical health.Dr. Matt Anderson is with Charlotte-based Advocate Health, a member of the North Carolina Healthcare Association. He says te...

Katrina Donahue, NCNC Co-director, presented the Annual James G. Jones Distinguished Lecture in Family Medicine at ECU's Family Medicine Grand Rounds and Research Day.

Patient-Centered CER Adapts Asthma Treatment to the Patient — Not the Other Way Around Breadcrumb Home Impact PCORI Stories Patient-Centered CER Adapts Asthma Treat... Patient-Centered CER Adapts Asthma Treatment to the Patient — Not the Other Way Around This study’s patient-centered design adapted an asthma intervention to reflect who the patients are and what’s important to th...