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nurse
practitioners
Medical
homes
A better way of
delivering care
Putting patients
at the center of care
Under the medical home model,
patients are active participants
in their own health and well-
being and have a say in their care.
Communication is essential through-
out treatment so patients feel they
can make informed decisions.
“Patients deserve a discussion on
why they should go on a statin, not
just a quick ‘Here’s your prescription—
see you in three months,’” says Philip
Cusumano, MD, an internist with
Beaufort Memorial Lady’s Island
Internal Medicine.
But that kind of deliberative
consultation has gone the way of
house calls.
“Because of declining reimburse-
ments from insurance companies,
we have to see more and more
patients to make the same amount
of money,” says Dr. Cusumano, who
spent 14 years at the Cleveland Clinic
before joining Beaufort Memorial’s
staff of physicians last year.
As a result, wait times are long.
It’s difficult to get in to see a pro-
vider. And when you do get in, the
visit is rushed.
“At a time when medical practice
is becoming more complex, we’re
spending less time with patients,”
Dr. Cusumano says. “Patients feel
like they’re not being listened to.”
Providers aren’t any happier.
“Primary care doctors are burn-
ing out,” Dr. Cusumano says. “This
is not the kind of medicine they set
out to practice.”
In the last few years, the health-
care community has begun shifting
to the concept of the patient-centered
medical home because data shows
that patients receive better quality
of care, are more satisfied with their
care and pay less for it.
Doctors, too, reap the ben-
efits. According to a recent study,
Medical home,
the next
big idea in healthcare, isn’t just a
buzzword anymore.
This new approach to provid-
ing higher-quality primary care is
being developed right here in the
Lowcountry by Beaufort Memorial.
Despite its name, a medical
home is not a building, house or
hospital, but rather a concept for
healthcare centered on the patient.
Here’s how it works: Each patient
has an ongoing relationship with
a personal physician who leads a
team of healthcare professionals
collectively responsible for provid-
ing the patient with preventive,
acute and chronic care. They will
make appointments with special-
ists as needed and help the patient
access educational services, in-
and out-of-home care, and other
public and private community
services.
The goal is to strengthen the
physician-patient relationship
and provide seamless and efficient
healthcare at a reduced cost.
“We believe it will result in
better coordination and qual-
ity of care for our patients,” says
Beaufort Memorial Physician
Partners Executive Director Sam
Derrick, who is spearheading the
implementation of the new pro-
gram at BMH. “Working with a
team, the primary care physician
will be able to monitor patients
more closely, ensuring they receive
the help they need.”
BMH is
building a
better model
over the next
two years.
Philip Cusumano, MD
(left), and M. Randy
Dalbow, MD, of Lady’s
Island Internal Medicine
14
Health Scene •
www.bmhsc.org