The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model challenges primary care providers to raise the bar on care coordination, population health management, clinical analytics, and access to care, but healthcare organizations that undertake these important quality transformations are usually left to foot the bill themselves. In a reimbursement landscape that remains, for the most part, rooted in fee-for-service payment, the incentive to pay out of pocket for these massive and costly changes can be hard to find.
There are few things that healthcare regulators like more than a good acronym. With alphabet soup like PCMH, ACO, MSSP, VBR, and FFS, it can sometimes be difficult to tell what the real differences are between the various quality and value-based reform options available to providers.
After understanding what the patient-centered medical home is and how it’s structured, the next question to ask is how the PCMH model stacks up against another familiar initiative: the accountable care organization (ACO). [practicetransform]
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.
Achieving patient-centered medical home recognition takes time, resources, guidance, and a dedication to holistic practice transformation, but the process doesn’t necessarily have to be a single, big-bang effort. While certain criteria must be met in order to snag the coveted designation from the NCQA or other accrediting bodies, healthcare providers are allowed to work towards their population health management and care coordination goals at their own pace before signing up for an assessment.
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.
What are some of the most substantial health IT issues that are hindering the healthcare field? A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association found that EHR functionalities that lacked integrated care management software and care plans, weak practice registry and EHR interoperability, and meager capabilities for patient tracking have all led to significant challenges for primary care teams.
Because new payment models require effective and seamless care coordination among providers, new methods of delivering care have also been experiments in the living laboratory. Two in particular have become especially prominent.
Inside a converted fruit warehouse near the Grand River in Grand Rapids sit several specialists on the front lines of ensuring that young children get a healthy start in life.
They work for Health Net of West Michigan, a nonprofit community healthcare hub that connects families with doctors and other community services in the Grand Rapids area. One of Health Net's primary tasks seems simple at first glance - making sure low-income children have a primary care physician.
The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is one of healthcare’s most popular designations, serving as a way for primary care organizations to codify and implement population health managementprograms, care coordination tactics, and the principles of comprehensive, data-driven, accessible care.
While several different national organizations offer PCMH recognition, no healthcare provider can embark upon in such extensive changes to their patient care strategies without having a solid understanding of how the patient-centered care model works. [wordle]
HUNTINGTON - Getting the right care to the right patient at the right time. It's the goal of all health care providers, but some medical professionals believe they have found a way to help achieve it in a more efficient way.
It's a model of care called the patient-centered medical home, and Marshall Health is one area provider that has been growing this concept among its patients for the past two years.
