Patient-Centered Medical Home Reduces Cost, Raises Quality

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is an effective way to reduce healthcare spending while raising quality indicators, says the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) in a new report.  The organization’s annual review of evidence of the impact of the PCMH shows that the model can produce widespread cost cutting, improvements in service utilization, higher patient satisfaction scores, and better access to care for patients in a number of independent studies.

“The evaluations of the PCMH described in the report underscore the growing evidence base that ties the medical home model of care to reductions in health care costs and improvements in quality,” said Christopher Koller, president of the Milbank Memorial Fund in a press release. “However, in order for the PCMH to be sustainable, we need greater investment in primary care and less reliance on the fee-for-service payment system.”

Of the 28 industry reports, government studies, and peer-reviewed articles included in the overview, 17 found that patient-centered primary care helped to control spending, while 24 acknowledged the PCMH’s impact on better utilization of primary care, inpatient, and emergency room services.  One hundred percent of peer-reviewed studies that reported on patient satisfaction noted that consumers were more satisfied with their care under the PCMH model, mirroring federal confidence that the team-based structure is worthy of significant financial investment.