Physicians, Large Employers Look At Medical Home System To Curb Health Care Costs

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 28 Nov 2007 - 9:00 PDT

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Some physicians and large employers in the U.S. have been looking at a patient-centered medical home system to help reduce health care costs, the Wichita Eagle reports. Under the model, primary care physicians become the hub for care coordination, "taking personal responsibility and accountability for the ongoing care of patients," according to the Eagle.

Rick Kellerman, chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians board, said that the system saves money and improves care by reducing duplicate and unnecessary tests and procedures. Some states have been testing the model by using it for their Medicaid programs.

This month, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative -- a collaborative of more than 50 physicians, large employers, consumer groups and some insurers that advocate for the medical home system -- held its first "call-to-arms summit," the Eagle reports. According to the Eagle, the system has less to do with government regulation and more to do with the structure of insurance reimbursement and how PCPs are paid.

Under a medical home model, the payment system between insurers and providers is not capped so the patients do not feel like their insurance reimbursement rates determine their care, Kellerman said. Kellerman added that the U.S. has "a system that totally devalues primary care," adding, "(It) is very uncoordinated ... and it does not emphasize preventive services" (Atwater, Wichita Eagle, 11/25).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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