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Asaf Bitton, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine
Affiliate, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine

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.

Strengthening data collection and use for quality improvement in primary care: the case of Costa Rica.
Authors: Authors: Pesec M, Spigel L, Molina Granados JM, Bitton A, Hirschhorn LR, Jiménez Brizuela JA, Pignone M, Sáenz MDR, Schwarz D, Villegas Del Carpio O, Wilson IB, Zamora Méndez E, Ratcliffe HL.
Health Policy Plan
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Estimated Effect on Life Expectancy of Alleviating Primary Care Shortages in the United States.
Authors: Authors: Basu S, Phillips RS, Berkowitz SA, Landon BE, Bitton A, Phillips RL.
Ann Intern Med
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Redeployment of Health Care Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Health System Leaders' Strategies.
Authors: Authors: Panda N, Sinyard RD, Henrich N, Cauley CE, Hannenberg AA, Sonnay Y, Bitton A, Brindle M, Molina G.
J Patient Saf
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Implications of Changes in Medicare Payment and Documentation for Primary Care Spending and Time Use.
Authors: Authors: Basu S, Song Z, Phillips RS, Bitton A, Landon BE.
J Gen Intern Med
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The Effects of a Multifaceted Intervention to Improve Care Transitions Within an Accountable Care Organization: Results of a Stepped-Wedge Cluster-Randomized Trial.
Authors: Authors: Schnipper JL, Samal L, Nolido N, Yoon C, Dalal AK, Magny-Normilus C, Bitton A, Thompson R, Labonville S, Crevensten G.
J Hosp Med
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Pandemic preparedness of an academic medical centre in the Republic of Korea.
Authors: Authors: An JA, Song KH, Kim ES, Kwak R, Jung J, Park JY, Park JS, Lee H, Shin MJ, Lee HY, Lim S, Park KU, Kim JH, Bitton A, Kim HB.
Clin Microbiol Infect
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Potential Adverse Financial Implications of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System for Independent and Safety Net Practices.
Authors: Authors: Colla CH, Ajayi T, Bitton A.
JAMA
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Assessment of Bypass of the Nearest Primary Health Care Facility Among Women in Ghana.
Authors: Authors: Bell G, Macarayan EK, Ratcliffe H, Kim JH, Otupiri E, Lipsitz S, Hirschhorn L, Awoonor-Williams JK, Nimako BA, Ofosu A, Leslie H, Bitton A, Schwarz D.
JAMA Netw Open
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Implementing sustainable primary healthcare reforms: strategies from Costa Rica.
Authors: Authors: Spigel L, Pesec M, Villegas Del Carpio O, Ratcliffe HL, Jiménez Brizuela JA, Madriz Montero A, Zamora Méndez E, Schwarz D, Bitton A, Hirschhorn LR.
BMJ Glob Health
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Towards patient-centred care in Ghana: health system responsiveness, self-rated health and experiential quality in a nationally representative survey.
Authors: Authors: Ratcliffe HL, Bell G, Awoonor-Williams K, Bitton A, Kim JH, Lipstiz S, Macarayan E, Ofosu A, Otupiri E, Schwarz D, Hirschhorn LR.
BMJ Open Qual
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