Collaborative care approach results in medical savings

Maryland’s patient-centered medical home pilot program did better than expected in its first year.The three-year pilot program gives participating groups money and technical support upfront to help them make the administrative and organizational changes needed to operate as a patient-centered medical home.Groups can get additional incentives if their patients’ health care costs are below the anticipated expense.

In the program’s first year, 23 of the 52 groups in the program will receive a total of about $815,700 in incentive payments, according to a state report.“We did not expect any practices to generate savings during this initial period."