Is a 'Medical Home' in Your Future?

Imagine having a team of health care professionals dedicated to keeping you healthy year-round by preventing the onset of diseases and managing your chronic medical conditions to avoid costly complications and hospitalizations.

That’s the mission of thousands of primary care practices nationwide that have embraced the “patient centered medical home” model that emphasizes prevention and disease management. Advocates say medical homes have the potential to improve quality, cut costs and reduce health inequities among all patients.

More than 9,000 primary care practices and 43,000 clinicians (doctors and nurse practitioners) across the country have earned the PCMH designation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the nation’s largest credentialing organization.

“Medical homes focus on patients even when they’re not present at the office. The team takes a proactive approach to health rather than waiting for patients to show up at the practice when they’re sick,” says Patricia Barrett, NCQA vice president of product delivery and PCMH.

“It’s about being there when patients are sick and reaching out to them to find out how they’re doing when they’re not sick,” says Salvatore Volpe, a primary care physician with a solo practice in Staten Island, New York, who operates a medical home.