Medical Home
Medical Home by the #s
10.30
Cost saved per patient per month over a two-year Seattle medical home demo1
5.6
Percentage of total healthcare costs that one study estimates would be saved if every patient had a medical home2
1967
Year the medical home concept was introduced3
21k
The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates a shortage of approximately 21,000 primary care physicians in 20154
77
Percentage of decrease in inappropriate emergency department visits a veterans’ clinic experienced by transitioning to the medical home model5
Providers earn more money when something goes wrong.
How is that possible?
Healthcare follows what is called a fee-for-service payment system, meaning providers earn more money by ordering more appointments, tests, or procedures.
For example, if the hospital staff fails to follow prevention guidelines, an infection could develop around an IV insertion site. They must now treat that infection, earning more money than had the staff performed flawlessly.
Healthcare is moving toward a new payment model that rewards outcomes instead of “doing more.” New financial incentives, however, are only part of the patient-centered medical home.
The medical home model of care attempts to address the problem of fragmented care. Have you ever had to see several specialists, in addition to your primary care doctor, and sensed none were on the same page? The medical home focuses on improved care coordination and quality healthcare among your care team, led by the primary care physician.
The medical home model depends on primary care health professionals taking responsibility for the patient as a whole. One barrier impacting the medical home model is the shortage of primary care doctors, another issue created by financial incentives. Specialists earn significantly more, making primary care an unpopular career choice for medical students.
What is Quality Quest doing?
The Quest Medical Home Team explored the viability of a medical home model in central Illinois.
Where can I find more information?
Resources for Consumers:
Consumer Reports: Features To Look for in a Medical Home
National Center for Medical Home Implementation: How to Partner with Your Physician
Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative: Consumers and Patients
Resources for Providers and Insurers:
American Academy of Family Physicians: Patent-Centered Medical Home
The Commonwealth Fund: Patient Centered Care Research and Publications
National Center for Medical Home Implementation
National Committee for Quality Assurance: Patient-Centered Medical Home
Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative: Providers and Clinicians
Resources for Employers:
Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative: Employers
