Medical Home

The concept of the "medical home" was first described over 25 years ago as a strategy to promote family-centered, community-based, coordinated care for children with special health care needs and has been subsequently adapted to more broadly apply to primary care for other populations. According to a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the pediatric medical home model emphasizes care that is "accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective." (p. 184). Currently there are national, regional, and local efforts to apply medical home concepts pioneered in pediatrics to adult primary care.

In March, 2007, a consensus paper titled, Joint Principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home, was released by organizations representing more than 300,000 physicians: the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American Osteopathic Association. The statement promotes the medical home as "an approach to comprehensive primary care for children, youth, and adults.Read more.

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Susan Maxwell, RN, MBA, Administrator, Patient and Family Centered Care commented, "Although our Family Advisory Board has only been meeting since August of 2007, there is already a palpable difference in our organization. Groups are vying to be on the agenda to ensure family input is part of the way we do business at CCMC." Read more.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center'sPatient-Centered Medical Home Pilot Project

In June 2008, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) and CIGNA launched a "patient-centered medical home" pilot program, to further enhance the coordination and quality of care for patients covered by a CIGNA health plan and receiving care from Dartmouth-Hitchcock primary care physicians. The goal is to provide patients with a comprehensive, coordinated approach to primary care, which in turn leads to improved quality and lower medical costs. Read more.

Minnesota Medical Home Learning Collaborative

The state of Minnesota participated in the medical home learning collaborative sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. In 2006, Minnesota Department of Health was awarded a President's New Freedom Initiative Grant to continue this work and its Minnesota Medical Home Learning Collaborative is a recognized leader in the movement. Read more.

Oregon PCPCH Program

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA), created by the Oregon legislature, established the Oregon PCPCH Program to develop strategies to identify and measure patient-centered primary care homes, promote their development, and encourage this new model of care in Oregon.

As a part of this initiative, the OHA and the Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF) convened a diverse group-including patient advisors, as well as primary care and mental health clinicians and public health and health care delivery technical experts from across Oregon to provide recommendations to support broad implementation of Patient-Centered Primary Care Homes (PCPCH) in Oregon. Read More.

South County Pediatrics

South County Pediatrics is a community-based teaching practice of UMass Memorial Health Care located in Webster, Massachusetts. The practice has a long history of participation in maternal and child health initiatives, including immunization registries, chronic disease management (asthma and obesity), and care coordination. South County Pediatrics is an active participant in community-based initiatives. Read more.