With alarming regularity, many promising pilots in the health care improvement and implementation field have little overall impact when applied more broadly. For example, following early reports that care coordination programs benefit patients and reduce costs, a 2012 Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report found no net benefit, on average, across 34 care coordination and disease management programs on hospital admissions or regular Medicare spending.
PCMHs see slower growth in ED visits, lower payment per beneficiary
Medicare patients being treated in patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) had fewer ED visits than patients not cared for in a PCMH, according to a recent study of primary care practices, federally qualified health centers, and Medicare fee-for-service data.
Report also finds model produces care quality improvements
The evidence is clear that the use of patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) can reduce healthcare costs, overuse of the emergency department and overall inpatient hospitalizations, according to a new, comprehensive report from the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC).