Before the explosion of managed care, electronic health records (EHRs), hospital mega-mergers, and just before the rise of hospitalists, primary care physicians had a very different role.
Leaders in the field who have practiced over several decades have different ideas about what has had the biggest effect in the last 20 years, but all agree they see their careers very differently than they did in 1995.
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]
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.
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.
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).
