Week in Review: A Consumer's Guide to Medical Home

Medical Home: A Consumer's Guide
Thursday, June 5th

Dear Members and Friends:

The big news this week is some very exciting coverage of the medical home in this month's issue of Consumer Reports. The article is unique not only in its ability to capture the medical home experience, but serves the important purpose of educating consumers about what high-quality, patient-centered primary care should look, feel, and act like.

The article highlights important success stories from providers, patients, and caregivers that are giving and receiving care in a medical home practice. They include Bon Secours Virginia Medical Group, PCPCC Education & Training Task Force Co-Chair, Dr. Bill Warning, and Dr. Christine Sinsky, who will lead an upcoming webinar on June 28th titled "In Search of Joy in Practice".

We encourage you to read the article, and share far and wide to encourage consumer health care education, and to inspire consumers to demand better quality care, and in turn speed up health system transformation.

And speaking of transformation...join us today at noon for a webinar with our friends at AHRQ, including Dr. David Meyers, to discuss Change Agents in Action: Lessons Learned from Leading Primary Care Facilitation Programs.

Read on for more exciting news!

Sincerely,

Marci Nielsen, PhD, MPH
Chief Executive Officer

Consumer Reports Sheds Light on the Medical Home

The latest issue of Consumer Reports, your go -to consumer magazine for seeking out the best-in-class flat screen TVs, or safest cars on the road, has finally broached the subject of the patient-centered medical home.

The article answers the question many consumers are wondering: "what is a medical home?" Using experiences from providers and patients, it helps paint a picture of how care might be different in a primary care practice that is committed to the patient-centered, team based, model of care. One caregiver described the coordination of care across her mother's primary care doctor and specialists as "one stop shopping." Providers emphasized the need to be proactive, including Dr. Christine Sinsky: "We don’t wait for you to remember it’s time for a screening or mammogram. We’ll reach out to you.”

For more information about strategies and impact of the medical home, download our "Why the Medical Home Works" graphc.

Primary Care Transformation: Lessons from the Experts

Change Agents in Action: Lessons Learned from Leading Primary Care Facilitation Programs
Date: Thursday, June 6th
Time: Noon - 1:30 PM ET
Add to calendar.

AHRQ's David Meyers and practice facilitation experts from Vermont Blueprint for Health and North Carolina AHEC will discuss best practices and lessons learned.

In Search of Joy in Practice: Innovations from 23 High Functioning Primary Care Practices
Date: Friday, June 28th
Time: Noon - 1:30 PM ET
Add to calendar.

Based on research published in the Annals of Family Medicine, this webinar will describe innovations that can increase physician’s work-life satisfaction, attract future physicians to the field, and improve the quality of patient care.

Welcome! New Executive Committee Members

Upcoming Events
Webinars, Seminars, and Knowledge Sharing

10th Annual CAPG Healthcare Conference
June 6 | California Assoc. of Physician Groups

Depression in the Workplace: Why it Matters and What You Can Do About It
June 6 | National Association of Worksite Health Centers

Health Reform Innovation
June 6 | National Journal LIVE

Advanced Topics in PCMH June 13 | NCQA

The Patient Journey: Implementing Excellence in Asthma Care June 17 | TransforMed

Behavioral Health Special Interest Group: Conference Call June 19 | PCPCC

Executive Committee Monthly Update: Conference Call June 25 | PCPCC

Health Coaching: Practical Lessons from the Field
June 26 | American Academy of Family Physicians

Survey Indicates EHR Uptick, But Barriers Remain

A national survey of physicians in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that more than 40 percent of the nation’s physicians have adopted electronic health records. However, just 10 percent were capable of meeting the meaningful use criteria established by the federal government.

The results find that physicians using EHRs for basic functions, such as viewing lab results or ordering prescription drugs electronically—grew from nearly 34 percent in early 2011 to 44 percent by March 2012. However, more advanced use of capabilities such as health information exchange or population health management are still quite rare.

To learn more about the realities of health IT adoption, listen to our discussion with Art Kellermann on last week's Monthly National Briefing (slide presentation and audio recording).

An Ounce of Prevention...

A new report from UCLA finds that patients who lack a consistent health care provider -- or a "medical home" -- appear less likely to receive regular preventive care. The study define a medical home as a place where a patient sees a regular physician over an extended period of time; has a personalized treatment plan; and care is coordinated.

The study found that patients whose care met the three criteria for a medical home are more confident in managing their own health, and more likely to have seen a provider within the past year.

Join us on October 13-15 for PCPCC’s 2013 Annual Fall Conference! More than 600 professionals from across the health care sector will gather in Bethesda, MD to identify models, best practices, and solutions for advancing the medical neighborhood. This year we'll cover topics like health system integration, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), state and federal health initiatives, payment reform, education and training, safety net innovations, and new care delivery models.

Register now!