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Asaf Bitton, M.D.

Associate Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School
Associate Professor of Health Care Policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

As a practicing primary care physician and health systems innovator, my work centers on improving the measurement and delivery of primary care nationally and globally. I have a particular focus on the implementation and evaluation of new team-based models of primary care delivery, and their associated payment structures. In the past, I studied the epidemiology and control of non-communicable diseases in low and middle income countries, with a focus on global tobacco control.

In addition to my appointments at the Division of General Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, I direct the work at Ariadne Labs for the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (www.phcperformanceinitiative.org). This joint effort with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, along with Results for Development, aims to measure in both traditional and novel ways primary care functions and performance within low and middle income partner countries, with the goal of understanding variation in performance and tailoring improvement initiatives to address performance gaps.

I also serve as a Senior Advisor to the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. This national multi-payer initiative launched in 2012 combines payment reform and practice redesign to transform 474 primary care practices in 8 states over 4 years with the overarching goal of improving quality of care, patient experience, and reducing costs.

I practice primary care medicine and am the Assistant Medical Director at the Brigham and Women’s Advanced Primary Care Associates, South Huntington, a patient-centered medical home practice in Jamaica Plain, MA.

Primary Care Collaboration to Improve Diagnosis and Screening for Colorectal Cancer.
Authors: Authors: Schiff GD, Bearden T, Hunt LS, Azzara J, Larmon J, Phillips RS, Singer S, Bennett B, Sugarman JR, Bitton A, Ellner A.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf
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Implementation of Treat-to-Target in Rheumatoid Arthritis Through a Learning Collaborative: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
Authors: Authors: Solomon DH, Losina E, Lu B, Zak A, Corrigan C, Lee SB, Agosti J, Bitton A, Harrold LR, Pincus T, Radner H, Yu Z, Smolen JS, Fraenkel L, Katz JN.
Arthritis Rheumatol
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Building resilient health systems: a proposal for a resilience index.
Authors: Authors: Kruk ME, Ling EJ, Bitton A, Cammett M, Cavanaugh K, Chopra M, El-Jardali F, Macauley RJ, Muraguri MK, Konuma S, Marten R, Martineau F, Myers M, Rasanathan K, Ruelas E, Soucat A, Sugihantono A, Warnken H.
BMJ
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Primary Health Care as a Foundation for Strengthening Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
Authors: Authors: Bitton A, Ratcliffe HL, Veillard JH, Kress DH, Barkley S, Kimball M, Secci F, Wong E, Basu L, Taylor C, Bayona J, Wang H, Lagomarsino G, Hirschhorn LR.
J Gen Intern Med
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The Impact of Alternative Payment in Chronically Ill and Older Patients in the Patient-centered Medical Home.
Authors: Authors: A Salzberg C, Bitton A, Lipsitz SR, Franz C, Shaykevich S, Newmark LP, Kwatra J, Bates DW.
Med Care
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A systematic tale of two differing reviews: evaluating the evidence on public and private sector quality of primary care in low and middle income countries.
Authors: Authors: Coarasa J, Das J, Gummerson E, Bitton A.
Global Health
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Primary Care Providers' Beliefs and Recommendations and Use of Screening Mammography by their Patients.
Authors: Authors: Haas JS, Barlow WE, Schapira MM, MacLean CD, Klabunde CN, Sprague BL, Beaber EF, Chen JS, Bitton A, Onega T, Harris K, Tosteson ANA.
J Gen Intern Med
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Primary Health Care That Works: The Costa Rican Experience.
Authors: Authors: Pesec M, Ratcliffe HL, Karlage A, Hirschhorn LR, Gawande A, Bitton A.
Health Aff (Millwood)
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Assessing the quality of primary care in Haiti.
Authors: Authors: Gage AD, Leslie HH, Bitton A, Jerome JG, Thermidor R, Joseph JP, Kruk ME.
Bull World Health Organ
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Association Between Patient-Centered Medical Homes and Adherence to Chronic Disease Medications: A Cohort Study.
Authors: Authors: Lauffenburger JC, Shrank WH, Bitton A, Franklin JM, Glynn RJ, Krumme AA, Matlin OS, Pezalla EJ, Spettell CM, Brill G, Choudhry NK.
Ann Intern Med
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