Contemporary Pediatrics - September 2008 - (Page 40)

Eye on Washington There’s no place like a medical home More and more groups see the value of a medical home— but will insurance companies? Or your practice? S Where it came from The medical home idea in this country evolved from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) concept of continuous care for children with special needs. But a cornerstone of the current effort is a set of principles adopted last year by the AAP, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, and the American Osteopathic Association. Those principles state that each patient should have a personal physician who leads a team at the practice level. The care should be coordinated or integrated Outlining the concept In the forefront of the medical home push is the PatientCentered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC), formed about two years ago. It now has over 160 members, including companies such as Proctor & Gamble and IBM. KATHRYN FOXHALL is a contributing editor to Contemporary Pediatrics. 40 www.contemporarypediatrics.com Vol. 25, No. 9 IMAGE: COURTESY OF DELOITTE CENTER FOR HEALTH SOLUTIONS AND DEMARCO AND ASSOCIATES everal organizations have been pushing for the “medical home,” the idea that primary care providers (PCPs) should take responsibility for more coordinated care—and get paid for it. The idea is getting emphasis from state Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program plans, health plans, large employers, and Medicare. Payers and others are also getting trials underway to test the potential. “I don’t think that anybody is really surprised that this has happened. In the recent years here, primary care certainly has had its amount of problems,” said William DeMarco, head of the consulting firm DeMarco and Associates, in a recent Web summit sponsored by information company MCOL. “A lot of the momentum for the medical home has originated in the premise that we have a significant shortage of primary care physicians,” said Paul H. Keckley, PhD, head of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. “And in order to attract physicians to primary care, we need to pay physicians differently … and recognize that their role in coordinating care and managing population-based outcomes benefits the systems.” Keckley noted that the health costs situation is “facing meltdown,” citing a June Congressional Budget Office report stating they will bankrupt the federal budget. He warned, “Under any scenario of any new administration, there have to be mechanisms to slow the escalating costs of care. And that is not good news if you are a physician.” Paul H. Keckley, PhD William DeMarco In countries where there is more focus on primary care, “People live longer, populations are healthier, patients are more satisfied with their care and everyone pays less,” PCPCC asserts. “These ‘primary care providers’ do more preventive health counseling, perform more screenings and immunizations, and provide care advocacy and coordination.” In addition, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission devoted a portion of its report on reform for Congress this June to the medical home, calling it a promising intervention. http://www.contemporarypediatrics.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Contemporary Pediatrics - September 2008

Contemporary Pediatrics - September 2008 Contents Editorial Your Voice Clinical Tip News Updates Eye on Washington Puzzler Dermatology: What’s your Dx? Behavior Cover Story: ECC Epidemic Parent Guides Discipline Techniques: The 12-Month-Old Exercise-induced Bronchospasm: Keeping Our Patients Active Food Safety Parent Guide CPR--Food Safety Malnutrition Links Surgeon General Links Hospice Links Childhood Cancer Links Rx for a Healthy Practice Rx for a Healthy Practice New Products Author Guidelines Journal Club Events Calendar Classifieds Index of Advertisers Postscript

Contemporary Pediatrics - September 2008

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