The National Program for Improving the Access and Quality of Primary Care: Reflections on the program design and deployment process

Abstract

This paper describes the primary features and elements of the National Program for Improving the Access and Quality of Primary Care (Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e da Qualidade da Atenção Básica, PMAQ) and evaluates the program’s initial deployment based on data on the accession of Municipalities and primary care teams. The article demonstrates how the PMAQ is related to the set of strategic priorities defined by the National Primary Care Policy and other broader movements with the goal of reorienting the way that the Unified Health System is organized. Four phases that define the organization of the program are presented in this paper: accession and contracting, development, external assessment and re-contracting. This paper also analyzes data regarding groups that have joined the program and have used a self-assessment tool offered by the Ministry of Health.