The healthcare system at which you work is considering implementing a medical ho
ID: 359840 • Letter: T
Question
The healthcare system at which you work is considering implementing a medical home model within the primary care practices that it owns. How could you use scenarios to model the effect that the implementation of medial homes will have on each of the following? The demand for healthcare services among patients who visit the healthcare practices. The system's healthcare workforce in terms of both the number of workers and the types of workers needed to support the medical home model in the primary care practices.
Explanation / Answer
Implementation of medical homes in various scenarios:
Patient-Centered Medical Home abbreviated as PCMH is a care delivery model where the primary care physician coordinates the patient treatment and care so as to ensure that the patient receives the care when and where he or she needs it and in a manner that he or she can understand. PCMH helps improve the communication levels and also the care which uplifts the quality of care while reducing the costs. The overall experience of care also gets enhanced for both the patients as well the provider.
PCMH encompasses 5 functions and attributes which are as below:
Comprehensive Care: provides physical and mental care, prevention and wellness, acute and chronic care. Requires a team of care providers who may be physically present or virtually linked.
Patient-Centered: Relationship-based approach with the focus on the patient by respecting each patient's unique needs, cultures, values, and preferences.
Coordinated Care: Active communication between patient families and providers. Also coordination amongst various providers like specialty care, hospitals, home health care, community services and other support.
Accessible Services: PCMH provides accessibility and also lesser waiting times for emergencies, 24X7 availability, Telephonic as well as electronic access to information.
Quality and Safety: Commitment to quality and safety with ongoing engagement activities like training and information sharing, capturing patient feedback and developing plans for improving the satisfaction levels, etc.,
Importance of medical homes:
Interest in the medical home continues to increase. The Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) has been vigorous in their support of private and government-supported demonstration projects. Members of that Collaborative include health plans and large employers, as well as groups representing physicians and other providers. Whereas the AAP initially developed the model as a way to improve patient care, the most obvious reason that the health plans and employers are supportive is that they are looking for ways to change the way medical care is provided in order to slow down the growth in health spending.
The expectation is that the providers who coordinate care for the patients will see financial rewards for their efforts, yet the overall cost of care will decline and care will be improved. The demonstration projects that underway include various models for rewarding the healthcare providers who are coordinating care. The results for both cost containment and for improved outcomes, to date, have been mixed. Nonetheless, there is rapidly growing support for expanding Medical Home projects.
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