The Practice Transformation Institute (PTI) Community Health Worker (CHW) educational programs are designed to strengthen CHW knowledge, performance, and measurable impact. CHWs have gained national and state attention to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes.
PTI’s CHW program teaches nationally recognized C3 Council competencies and prepares participants to function effectively across community and health care settings. PTI is an approved provider of Community Health Worker training by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS), following a rigorous approval process and years of community and health system partnership. PTI is also uniquely distinguished by its IACET accreditation, underscoring its commitment to training excellence. This structured training supports CHWs in advancing all elements of the Quintuple Aim.
Provider Experience and the Quintuple Aim
The Quintuple Aim, developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI, 2025), includes five essential goals for health system performance: population health, patient experience, cost, health equity, and provider experience. Among these, provider well-being has emerged as a critical factor to reduce burnout and healthcare workforce strain. Improving provider experience is essential to achieving the Quintuple aim and delivering optimal care.
The Quintuple Aim, developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI, 2025), includes five essential goals for health system performance: population health, patient experience, cost, health equity, and provider experience. Among these, provider well-being has emerged as a critical factor to reduce burnout and healthcare workforce strain. Improving provider experience is essential to achieving the Quintuple aim and delivering optimal care.
Why Provider Experience Matters
Health care providers (physicians and others) face increasing demands: complex patient care, administrative requirements, workforce shortages, and pressures to achieve productivity. These challenges contribute to burnout and decreased job satisfaction. When provider experience decreases, downstream effects include decreases in quality of care, patient experience, practice staff experience, and decreased job satisfaction. Cost of care increases due to inefficiencies, and population health goals become more difficult to achieve.
Health care providers (physicians and others) face increasing demands: complex patient care, administrative requirements, workforce shortages, and pressures to achieve productivity. These challenges contribute to burnout and decreased job satisfaction. When provider experience decreases, downstream effects include decreases in quality of care, patient experience, practice staff experience, and decreased job satisfaction. Cost of care increases due to inefficiencies, and population health goals become more difficult to achieve.
Provider
Experience and Team-Based Care
One of the most effective strategies to improve physician and provider experience is to implement strong, team-based care. Creating an interactive practice team, with team members delivering care and services at the top of their licenses, certifications, and training, allows providers to focus on clinical decision-making while other team members focus on social determinants/drivers of health (SDOH) and logistical needs. Community Health Workers (CHWs) play an essential role in this model.
One of the most effective strategies to improve physician and provider experience is to implement strong, team-based care. Creating an interactive practice team, with team members delivering care and services at the top of their licenses, certifications, and training, allows providers to focus on clinical decision-making while other team members focus on social determinants/drivers of health (SDOH) and logistical needs. Community Health Workers (CHWs) play an essential role in this model.
The Role of Community Health Workers in Team-Based Care
Throughout this series, we have focused on the role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and their unique position as members of the communities they serve. CHWs are uniquely positioned to operationalize health equity within care teams, applying lived experience, focusing on cultural norms, and understanding systemic barriers within communities and systems of care. CHWs extend the care team across clinical settings and communities, bridging gaps between patients, physicians, and providers by addressing non-clinical factors that influence health.
CHWs support providers by:
Figure 1: CHW Impact on Physicians and Providers
The
Role of Community Health Workers in Reducing Physician and Provider Burnout
Burnout occurs when pressures and job demand exceed available resources. CHWs contribute to reduced physician and provider burnout by balancing demands within practices to meet patient and family needs. With CHWs in practices, physicians and providers function at the top of their training, care is proactive, and outcomes improve.
Throughout this series, we have focused on the role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and their unique position as members of the communities they serve. CHWs are uniquely positioned to operationalize health equity within care teams, applying lived experience, focusing on cultural norms, and understanding systemic barriers within communities and systems of care. CHWs extend the care team across clinical settings and communities, bridging gaps between patients, physicians, and providers by addressing non-clinical factors that influence health.
CHWs support providers by:
- Addressing barriers, such as food insecurity, transportation, and housing
- Reinforcing patient education
- Coordinating follow-up and outreach with patients and families
- Improving communication between patients and care teams
Figure 1: CHW Impact on Physicians and Providers
Burnout occurs when pressures and job demand exceed available resources. CHWs contribute to reduced physician and provider burnout by balancing demands within practices to meet patient and family needs. With CHWs in practices, physicians and providers function at the top of their training, care is proactive, and outcomes improve.
This
shift reduces burnout and builds a sustainable workforce.
CHW
Impact on the Quintuple Aim
CHWs contribute to improvements in every component of the Quintuple Aim. In addition to improving physician and provider experience, CHW support allows physicians to deliver more consistent, high-quality care, improving population health. Patient experience improves when providers spend more time with them, fostering patient and physician/provider relationships. Finally, team-based care including CHWs reduces duplication of services and leads to reduced cost of care.
CHWs contribute to improvements in every component of the Quintuple Aim. In addition to improving physician and provider experience, CHW support allows physicians to deliver more consistent, high-quality care, improving population health. Patient experience improves when providers spend more time with them, fostering patient and physician/provider relationships. Finally, team-based care including CHWs reduces duplication of services and leads to reduced cost of care.
For
more information on PTI CHW education and training, visit https://transformcoach.org/learning-solutions/community-health-worker-chw-program/.
References
References
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2025). National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/health-disparities-hiv-std-tb-hepatitis/about/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/healthequity/index.html.
- Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2025). The Quintuple Aim.
- Paulson, C.A., Durazo, E.M., Purry, L.D., Covington, A.E., Peters, R.A., Bob, B.A., Torchia, S., Beard, B., McDermott, L.E., Lerner, A., Smart-Sanchez, J., Ashok, M., Ejuwa, J., and Cosgrove, S. (2021). Adding a seat at the table: A case study of the provider’s perspective on integrating community health workers at provider practices in California. Public Health, 9:690067. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.690067
- Practice Transformation Institute (2025). Community Health Worker Training Program.
