The medical home care model provides patients with a central primary care provider or practice that coordinates their care between settings and different providers. Interdisciplinary and interprofessional community based health teams provide care with a focus on preventative care and chronic disease management. This focus can improve patient outcomes by improving general health, preventing exacerbation of current chronic conditions and development of future illness. These health teams may include “medical specialists, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, dieticians, social workers, behavioral and mental health providers (including substance use disorder prevention and treatment providers), doctors of chiropractic, licensed complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, and physicians’ assistants” (ANA, 2010, p.4).
This care model coordinates care to provide “a more efficient and holistic approach to treatment” (Adamson, 2011). Care access is simplified and patients are better informed and engaged in their care. This is more likely to result in improved patient compliance with treatment recommendations and preventative care. A key benefit to this care model include reduced costs and improves health outcomes.(Adamson, 2011)
In February, 2016, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative released a report that highlighted new evidence that shows that medical homes lower costs and improve healthcare quality. Patients in this care model are experiencing improved health and decreased ER visits and hospital readmissions. (PCPCC, 2016)
References
American Nurses Association (ANA). (2010). New Care Delivery Models in Health System Reform: Opportunities for Nurses & their Patients. https://www.nursingworld.org/~4af0e8/globalassets/docs/ana/ethics/new-delivery-models—final—haney—6-9-10-1532.pdf
Adamson M. (2011). The Patient-Centered Medical Home: an Essential Destination on the Road to Reform. American health & drug benefits, 4(2), 122-4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4106584/
Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC). (2016). Latest Published Evidence Finds Positive Outcomes Associated with Comprehensive Primary Care. https://www.pcpcc.org/2016/02/02/new-report-finds-medical-homes-improve-health-care-quality-costs-utilization.
#2:
The innovated health care delivery model that I picked was the Medical/health homes. This model can be understood as a mechanism to provide patients with a central primary care provider who coordinates the patients’ care across settings and providers (American Nurses Association, 2010). This type of model promotes preventative care, as well as chronic care management. I believe this model is advantageous to patients outcome, because it treats the whole person. This model aims to improve access to care, allows an increase in care coordination among all providers, and enhances the overall quality of care while reducing costs (The Medical Home Model of Care, 2011). This model has been shown to improve not only the patients care coordination but also improve the patients overall outcome. Patients care is overseen by the primary care provider, so any referrals are made through them. I believe this enables the PCP to play a more active role in the patients care, as they receive all the reports from all the doctors that they were referred to. By doing this it allows the PCP to see the whole picture and they know exactly what is going on with their patient at any given time. This incorporates an interdisciplinary holistic care approach and helps to ensure continuity of care.
References
American Nurses Association. (2010). New Care Delivery Models in Health System Reform: Opportunities for Nurses & their Patients. https://www.nursingworld.org/~4af0e8/globalassets/docs/ana/ethics/new-delivery-models—final—haney—6-9-10-1532.pdf
The Medical Home Model of Care. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/the-medical-home-model-of-care.aspx