November 3, 2009 - By combining the core tenets of primary care with high-tech practice innovations like electronic medical records, the patient-centered medical home model can improve quality of care and lower costs. This Commonwealth Fund supported publicatin looks at the several challenges.
Literature Abstract
October 16, 2009 - How much does it cost a physician practice to become a medical home and add new medical home features? A new Commonwealth Fund report finds less than a $1-per-patient difference in costs per month between physician practices with a high level of medical home attributes—such as evening office hours, electronic health record systems, and care management services—and those with lower levels.
Fund Report
October 8, 2009 - The Commonwealth Fund-supported study in Annals of Internal Medicine looks at primary care practices in Massachusetts and finds a strong association between clinicians' frequent use of advanced electronic health records and higher practice performance on quality-of-care measures.
In the Literature
June 23, 2009 - Since 2006 more than 30 states have initiated projects to advance medical homes in Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP), and several states also are driving state-wide transformation. This National Academy of State Health Policy/Commonwealth Fund report provides state policymakers with examples of promising practices and lessons learned.
Fund Report
May 21, 2009 - This report proposes a framework for care coordination in a high-performing pediatric health care system. It includes a definition of care coordination; outlines its principal characteristics, competencies, and functions; and sets forth a detailed process for its delivery.
Fund Report
May 20, 2009 - At The Valley Hospital, hospital leaders exemplify on a daily basis the hospital's dedication to patient service.
Case Study
May 13, 2009 - Early findings from a Commonwealth Fund-supported evaluation of a two-year American Academy of Family Physicians demonstration suggests that medical home transformations require more money, time, and doctor and technology support than currently invested.
In the Literature
April 16, 2009 - An analysis of the organizational and market factors that affect primary care physicians' performance on
patient surveys found that physicians who work in larger groups, particularly integrated medical groups,
performed better on several measures of patients' experiences.
In the Literature
March 26, 2009 - Pediatric care providers do not routinely screen parents for basic social needs at well-child visits, according to this study of low-income parents and resident providers at a Baltimore pediatric clinic.
In the Literature
February 5, 2009 - A Commonwealth Fund-supported study of overweight and obese patients found disparities in how patients of different racial and ethnic backgrounds perceive the health effects of their weight. Health care providers can play an important role in helping patients understand the often serious implications.
In the Literature
February 2, 2009 - A comparison of the histories of patient centeredness and cultural competence in health care delivery reveals that, despite some differences, these quality initiatives share many of the same core concepts.
In the Literature
January 14, 2009 - A survey of physicians at primary care practices in Massachusetts found that larger, network-affiliated practices are more likely than smaller, non-affiliated practices to meet standards for a patient-centered medical home.
In the Literature
December 17, 2008 - By focusing on patient satisfaction and engaging frontline staff in improving care, Munson Medical Center has become one of the better large hospitals in the United States in terms of overall patient satisfaction.
Case Study
December 17, 2008 - By focusing intently on patient–staff interactions and patients' needs, Hutcheson Medical Center has turned around its quality and financial indicators in the last two-and-a-half years.
Case Study
December 17, 2008 - Flowers Hospital, a community hospital located in southeast Alabama, climbed from average to exemplary on process-of-care, or "core" measures, across four clinical areas--heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical infection prevention--in just two years.
Case Study