The PhmCAT is a multi-domain assessment that is used to understand current population health management capabilities of primary care practices or Community Health Centers. This self-administered tool can help organizations identify strengths and opportunities for improving population health management. It can also be used to assess changes over time if administered at multiple time points.
The PhmCAT was developed by Kaiser Permanente’s Population Health Management Initiative (PHMI) team in consultation with a workgroup comprising representatives from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), California Primary Care Association (CPCA), Partnership Health Plan, Alameda Health Consortium, and the University of Chicago. The tool assesses eight common domains across PHMI, Alternative Payment Methodology (APM), and Health Equity and Practice Transformation deemed critical for effective population health management:
• Leadership & culture
• Business case for PHM
• Technology & data infrastructure
• Empanelment & access
• Care teams
• Patient-centered, population-based care
• Behavioral health
• Social health
The PhmCAT includes 50 questions total across the eight domains, most from validated or frequently used assessment tools. Each question is rated on a 10-point scale - 1 being low/not in place, 10 being high/in place.