States move ahead with Medicaid medical homes

With or without the health reform law, a majority of states have established delivery system qualifications and payment policies to promote Medicaid program medical homes.

But the health reform law has added incentives to push providers who were previously undecided to get on board with transforming their care delivery.

Twenty-six states over the past several years have adopted policies to make payments to healthcare providers that meet medical home standards, said Mary Takach, program director, National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP).

To receive payments, providers meet NCQA medical home standards, but some states also have their own qualifications and standards or a mix of both, she said. The National Committee for Quality Assurance sets conditions for recognition of medical homes that foster teamwork between patients and their physician and the care team.