Michael K. Magill, M.D., is Hicken Professor and Chairman of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (FPM) at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Magill also served for 10 years as Executive Medical Director of the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics/Community Physician Group, a multidisciplinary medical practice located in 10 sites in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. In that role, he helped develop the University of Utah’s model of Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), known as Care by Design (CBD). CBD became the basis for a federally-funded health services research program led by Dr. Magill and for curricula in the School of Medicine and primary care residency programs. He also served as Executive Medical Director of the University of Utah Health Plans from 2012 to 2015, advancing implementation of PCMH payment for care for University employees and Medicaid patients.
Dr. Magill is dedicated to health care reform and educating future primary care clinicians, especially for inter-professional teams. His ongoing research interests include transformation of primary care to meet the "Quadruple Aim" of better health, smarter spending, improved quality of care, and clinician satisfaction. He conducts research on education for and implementation of team based care, especially in medically-underserved rural and urban areas, and on calculating the supply of primary care professionals to meet population needs in a transforming health system. He is a collaborator on studies of early detection and management of dementia, and on family caregiver roles in care of the elderly. In his professional practice, Dr. Magill focuses on providing comprehensive primary care in sustained partnership with patients and families.
Dr. Magill graduated from Duke Medical School and completed the Duke-Watts Family Medicine Residency Program, Durham, North Carolina. He served from 1981-1986 on the faculty of the University of Arizona in the Department of Community and Family Medicine, where he directed the Family Medicine Faculty Development Program. From 1986-1994 he worked at Tallahassee Memorial Regional Medical Center, Tallahassee, Florida, first as Director of the Family Medicine Residency, subsequently as Senior Vice President for Medical Education and Outreach. He moved to Utah in 1994 to found the Utah Area Health Education Centers Program, which he still directs, and served as FPM Department Chairman from 1995 through 2016. He is Past President of the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Family Medicine.
In his leisure time, he enjoys running marathons, skiing, travel, and spending time with his wife and grandchildren.
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Research Statement
My research focuses on transforming practice and education for primary care to achieve the quadruple aim of better health, better care, smarter spending, and joy in practice. I have implemented and studied advanced primary care practices using mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods. I am now focusing on preparing the inter-professional health care workforce needed to deliver high value primary care.
One of my current research project aims to model inter-professional primary care workforce for the State of Utah to address population health needs. We start with the prevalence of chronic conditions, incidence of acute illness, and best practice for prevention. We then describe services needed for these founded on evidence-based guidelines, assign services to capable members of an extended team working at the top of license, and project the number of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, psychologists, care managers, medical assistants, and others needed to deliver optimal care. These projections will be useful for developing educational programs and payment models to supply and pay for optimal primary care for the State.
In addition, I direct the Utah Area Health Education Centers Program (Utah AHEC). This is a statewide, inter-institutional program to enhance primary care, especially in underserved urban and rural areas of the State. Utah AHEC recruits young people from underserved areas to health careers, prepares them to succeed in health professions schools, provides advanced training to students enrolled in the AHEC Scholars program, enhances community based education, and offers targeted CME for clinicians and public health professionals. We conduct research to evaluate effectiveness of the advanced educational offerings provided by the Utah AHEC program.