Report: Payment Reform Needed For Medical Homes

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January 13, 2012, 10:20:11 AM

Transforming smaller physician practices into patient-centered medical homes presents great opportunities for higher-quality care at lower costs for patients who have complex healthcare needs, but payment reforms are needed, according to a report in the Annals of Family Medicine.

The report, written by researchers at Mathematica Policy Research in Washington, asserts that payment changes must be made to reimburse these practices for time spent coordinating care and for integrating care coordinators into primary-care teams.

Dr. Eugene Rich and colleagues studied organizations operating as medical homes in Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin, and their findings appear in the American Academy of Family Physicians' journal as well as in a longer white paper published by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The study was funded by AHRQ.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/75zpzyq

Source: Modern Physician