Why the Patient-Centered Medical Home's time has come [VIDEO]

The concept of the medical home was pioneered during the 1960s, but only recently has this practice model taken off.

Viewed as a means of controlling costs, improving care quality – and maybe even helping providers boost revenues – the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is built on the concept of primary care physicians (PCPs) as care coordinators.

About 4,700 practices had been recognized as PCMHs as of August, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

At the state level, Ohio has gotten behind the PCMH concept with a state-sponsored project that sponsors training aimed at helping 50 primary care practices transform themselves into PCMHs.

The state is also testing the model for patients with mental illness.

In the video below, Ohio Department of Health Director Ted Wymyslo, MD, tells Medical Economics why the state has prioritized PCMHs.

“We think the healthcare system as it exists right now is in disarray at best, and certainly is fragmented and very expensive, unaffordable for many people,” Wymyslo says in the interview. “My main concern is that, going into the future, we won’t be able to continue expending the resources that we are on healthcare if we don’t change something.”

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