BCBS of Michigan Saves $155M from Patient Centered Medical Home Program

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan saved an estimated $155 million in preventative claim costs over the first three years of its Patient Centered Medical Home program, according to analysis published in the Health Services Research Journal.

The analysis finds that when physicians adopt the patient centered medical home model it yields improvements in higher quality and preventative care. BCBS of Michigan is the nation’s largest Patient-Centered Medical Home designation program over the past five years.

According to the analysis, “Partial and Incremental PCMH Practice Transformation: Implications for Quality and Costs,” researchers found that its Patient Centered Medical Home model, when fully implemented resulted in:

• 3.5 percent higher quality measure
• 5.1 percent higher preventive care measure
• $26.37 lower per member per month medical cost for adults

Is the Patient Centered Medical Home the Future of Primary Care

Through patient-centered medical homes, primary care physicians lead teams that proactively manage their patients’ care across health care settings — focusing on wellness, disease management and patients’ unique personal health goals. For example, PCMH practices offer 24-hour access to the care team and coordinate specialist and other care, such as nutrition counseling. PCMH practices also track patient conditions, such as asthma and diabetes, teach patients how to manage these conditions and connect patients to community services when needed.