Link to Meeting Video Recording

Attendees

Project Leadership / Richmond Clinic (OHSU)

• Mark Stephens

• Jason Kroening-Roche

• Charles Lev

• Kristin Erickson

PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Clinic

• Nick Gideonse

• Deirdre Simpson-Rhoads

• Madi Bethke

OHSU Gabriel Park Clinic

• Jenny Mitchell

• Kira Talo

Winding Waters Clinic

• Kathryn Matthews

• Brandon Miller

Project Support

• Margery Spears (web analytics / website support)

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Purpose of the Meeting

This meeting marked the start of the monthly learning collaborative phase of the project. The session focused on reconnecting participating clinics, reviewing early implementation progress, introducing project infrastructure, and identifying issues and support needs as clinics prepare to launch their first cohorts.

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Collaborative Website

A project website has been created on the Northwest Pain Guidance site to support the collaborative.

Key elements include:

• A landing page describing the project, participating clinics, and investigators.

• The Implementation Manual, now fully online and continuously updated.

• Pages for each learning collaborative meeting, which will include agendas, resources, recordings, and meeting summaries.

The website serves as the central resource hub for the project.

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Clinic Implementation Updates

PeaceHealth Cottage Grove

Status: Preparing to launch first cohort.

Recruitment

Approximately 8–12 potential participants have been identified. Interest among patients has been strong, with roughly 30–50% of patients expressing interest when the program is described. Most recruitment so far has come from the physician’s own patient panel.

Scheduling

The first cohort is planned to start May 13.
Session time: 1:00–2:30 PM.
The group will meet for 10 consecutive weekly sessions.

The start date was adjusted slightly due to scheduling conflicts.

Operational Setup

A patient interest list has been created, and clinic staff will soon contact interested patients to schedule participants. The team expects to reach the minimum of five regular participants without difficulty.

Barriers

The primary barrier has been difficulty obtaining acupuncture needles due to clinic formulary restrictions.

Operational Question Raised

The team asked which elements should be adjusted if scheduling disruptions occur:

• change the time

• change the location

• interrupt the weekly schedule

Guidance from experienced facilitators

Consistency is important for group momentum. The recommendation was to maintain the same day and time and continue the weekly sequence whenever possible. If necessary, change the room or facilitator, but avoid interrupting the weekly schedule.

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OHSU Gabriel Park

Status: Recruitment underway; operational approvals pending.

Recruitment

Nineteen patients are currently on the recruitment list. Several patients have already asked when the program will begin.

Scheduling

The proposed time is Wednesday evening sessions. The clinic is currently awaiting final approval to adjust provider schedules in order to support the group visit format.

Barriers

Labor relations issues related to the new union contract created restrictions on modifying clinician schedules. Approval is required from department leadership and the medical director before the schedule can be finalized.

Behavioral Health Staffing Issue

The behavioral health clinician who was expected to participate recently left the position.

Current options under discussion include:

• starting the program without behavioral health participation

• delaying the start until a replacement clinician is hired

Concerns include the possibility of double copays if both the medical provider and behavioral health clinician bill separately.

Guidance from experienced facilitators

The recommendation was to begin the program even without behavioral health support, since the group can function effectively with the existing facilitation team.

Additional Operational Question

If the primary provider is absent for a session, should the group continue?

The guidance was to continue the session whenever possible. Billing may not occur for that session, but maintaining continuity for the patients is more important.

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Winding Waters Clinic

Status: Early planning stage.

Recruitment

Several patients have expressed interest after informal conversations with clinicians.

Operational Planning

Clinic leaders are currently determining the best time of day and available meeting space and are working through how to integrate the program into existing clinic schedules.

Primary Barrier

The main challenge is scheduling logistics and room availability, since the clinic shares meeting space with other programs and many meetings already take place in those rooms.

Next Steps

The team plans to select a time and launch the program. Timing adjustments can be made for future cohorts if necessary.

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Recruitment Strategy Recommendation

A key recommendation for all clinics was to expand recruitment beyond the lead clinician’s patient panel.

Suggested steps include presenting the program at provider meetings, encouraging other clinicians to refer patients, and using the recruitment scripts included in the implementation manual.

Sustained recruitment from other providers will be important for future cohorts once the initial pool of patients has been used.

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Topics Requested for Future Meetings

Participants identified several areas where additional guidance would be helpful.

Implementation topics

• Techniques for facilitating group sessions
• Managing disruptive participants

• Delivering scripted meditation and mindfulness components

Staff workflow topics

• Medical assistant workflow for group visits

• Patient rooming procedures

• Documentation processes during sessions

Participants also expressed interest in hearing from clinics that have launched their first cohorts in order to learn from early experiences.