The Patient-Centered Medical Home: Early Results, Tough Scrutiny

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is getting a hard look this year. In a study published in JAMA in February, the largest of its kind, researchers followed 32 primary care practices certified as PCMHs over a three-year period, and were unable to find any impact on overall health care costs or patients’ utilization of health care services, including emergency departments. To put it mildly, this was not welcomed news by the health care improvement community — especially those who are looking to PCMHs as one jewel in the crown of a redesigned primary care system that offers patients more integrated, coordinated, cost-effective care. Headlines such as “Medical Homes Haven’t Saved Money or Substantially Improved Care” and “Medical Homes May Not Be The Answer” suggested just the opposite.
 
This is not the entire story. The state of Minnesota recently issued a report on its success with PCMHs. And, where focused work is underway elsewhere, the uptake ofprocess improvements is encouraging. But the study in JAMA has functioned as a sort of wake-up call, which many experts, including champions of PCMHs, believe is timely and beneficial. Dr. Goldman has offered some perspective on the study in a blog post and in a short video (below) in anticipation of the WIHI broadcast where we'll look at the research, the strengths and weaknesses of the study design, and what lessons can be gleaned for transforming primary care going forward. Plesae join us for theMay 22 WIHI: The Patient-Centered Medical Home: Early Results, Tough Scrutiny, produced in collaboration with JAMA.