Join ACCP on Sunday, October 12, during the Opening General Session of the 2014 ACCP Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, for the keynote address titled, “Patient-Centered Care and the PCMH—Where Are We, REALLY, and Where Do We Need to Go?” Marci Nielsen, Ph.D., MPH, chief executive officer of Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, will serve as the 2014 Annual Meeting keynote speaker.

During the keynote address, Dr. Nielsen will present current evidence supporting the transformation of the U.S. primary care delivery system to the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) framework and identify the current gaps and challenges in the transformation process related to policy, delivery system, and payment reform areas. Dr. Nielsen will also discuss the contribution of the team-based approach to comprehensive medication management in achieving the overall goals of a highly functional PCMH. Attendees will appreciate the importance of actual team member performance in achieving PCMH goals and recognize the opportunities in practice and research from full participation in primary care’s transformation.

Dr. Nielsen’s experience includes time served as vice chancellor for public affairs and associate professor within the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She was the first executive director and board chair to oversee the Kansas Health Policy Authority (Kansas Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the State Employee Health Program); she also served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE) and was the health lobbyist and assistant director of legislation at the AFL-CIO. Dr. Nielsen has an undergraduate degree in biology and psychology from Briar Cliff University, an MPH degree from the George Washington University, and a Ph.D. degree in health policy and management from Johns Hopkins University. Early in her career, she worked as a Peace Corps volunteer for Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and served for 6 years in the U.S. Army Reserves.

You won’t want to miss this thought-provoking kickoff to the 2014 ACCP Annual Meeting, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, 2014.