Pilot is first to show broad improvements for patients and providers
SEATTLE—A one-year evaluation at Group Health Cooperative is the first to demonstrate the measurable benefit to both patients and staff when a primary care practice adopts a “patient-centered medical home” model. This model gives patients more time with doctors, more preventive care, and improved collaboration among caregivers. Tomorrow the American Journal of Managed Care will publish the results—including significantly fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
Much national attention is focused on the medical home model as a way to help solve the U.S. primary care shortage, improve health outcomes, and control costs. A medical home provides expanded primary care that is personalized, focused on prevention, actively involves patients in making decisions about their care, and helps coordinate all their care and get their health needs met.
The new study provides some of the nation’s first empirical evidence of the benefits of this new type of care using research that compared a random sample of the 9,200 patients at Group Health’s medical home pilot to a control group. At one year, patients at the medical home:
- Had 29 percent fewer emergency room visits, 11 percent fewer hospitalizations that primary care can prevent, and 6 percent fewer in-person visits
- Reported higher ratings on six scales of patient experience
- Used 94 percent more e-mail, 12 percent more phone, and more group visits and self-management support workshops
- Received better health care, including needed screening tests, management of their chronic illnesses, and monitoring of their medications
“A medical home is like an old-style family doctor’s office, but with a whole team of professionals,” explained evaluation leader Robert J. Reid, MD, PhD, an associate investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies and Group Health’s associate medical director for preventive care. “Together, they make the most of modern knowledge and technology—including e-mail and electronic medical records—to give patients excellent care and reaches out to help them stay healthy.
Now 25 medical home projects are (more…)
