PACT - Team-Based Care
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The fourth component of PACT is the concept of "team-based care."
Veterans are at the center of their PACT, which includes their families and caregivers. Health care professionals on the team include the Veteran’s primary care provider, a nurse who serves as the care manager, a clinical associate, and an administrative clerk.
When additional services are needed to meet the Veteran’s goals and needs, another care team may be called in for support. These may include social workers, dietitians, pharmacists, mental health practitioners, specialists, and other non-VA health care professionals. All of these team members work with the Veteran to coordinate a wide variety of health care resources.
There are many advantages to this team-based approach. By working together with the same health care team members, the Veteran forms relationships where they get to know team members as individuals. This bond results in more open communication and better cooperation between all the members of the health care team. Working together with the PACT, Veterans can develop their health care goals and use all the team’s resources to achieve their health care goals.
Because Veterans are the center of the team, they are active participants in their health care management. This ensures that their wants, needs, and preferences are respected and the whole team is engaged in meeting their health care goals. Other members of the team provide information and ideas, the benefits of their knowledge and experience, plus counsel and support. However, each PACT is patient-centric and Veterans ultimately take ownership of their health care.
