Basic HTML Version
pharmacists
social
workers
diabetes
nurses
physician
assistants
clinician satisfaction increased by
58 percent and practice revenue
by 11 percent in the medical home
model.
“We need to make the change,”
Dr. Cusumano says. “There’s already
a shortage of primary care physi-
cians. And it’s only going to get
worse if nothing is done to improve
the current conditions.”
A team-driven solution
This fall, Beaufort Memorial will
have its kick-off meeting to begin
the process of establishing medi-
cal homes in the hospital’s four
primary care practices.
“It’s a two-year project,” Derrick
said. “Within the first year, we hope
to have the basic elements in place.”
While many primary care prac-
tices already have nurse practi-
tioners or physician assistants on
staff, the team would be expanded
to include other healthcare profes-
sionals, such as chronic care nurse
managers, a pharmacist, a clinical
psychologist, a diabetes nurse and
social workers.
Working together, the team sees
to it that the patient gets all the rec-
ommended preventive care and help
managing any chronic diseases, like
diabetes or high blood pressure.
“Some patients have a history of
being noncompliant with physician
orders,” Derrick says. “They don’t
take care of their chronic condi-
tions and end up in the ER.
“In a medical home, members
of the team are able to follow
up with patients to make
sure they understand what
they’re supposed to be
doing. If you have a nurse
calling once a month to
remind you to check your
blood pressure, there’s
more accountability.”
A technological
bridge
Electronic health records
also are a key component
of the medical home con-
cept. Having a central re-
cords system allows each
team member to know
if the patient’s condition is under
control, what the most up-to-date
recommendations are for treating a
certain condition and how they are
performing as a provider team.
All of Beaufort Memorial’s
primary care practices already
document patient information
electronically, achieving what the
Department of Health and Human
Services calls “meaningful use” of
electronic records.
BMH is now working to incor-
porate technology that will al-
low providers and the hospital to
communicate with each other. By
having secure access to all medi-
cal records, clinicians will be able
to view a patient’s every blood test,
hospital stay and x-ray.
“We’re working to create an
interface between the hospital
and the primary care providers,”
Derrick says. “It’s a bridge where
information can travel.”
Hope for the future
A promising alternative to the
nation’s costly and fragmented
healthcare delivery system, medical
homes are rapidly gaining momen-
tum and attention as an innovative
approach to primary care.
In 2006, the American Academy
of Family Physicians launched the
Patient-Centered Medical Home
(PCMH) National Demonstration
Project in 36 family practices. Since
then, the National Committee for
Quality Assurance has created a
PCMH Recognition Program based
on a set of standards validated by
actual experience and observation.
Financial incentives are be-
ing offered by health plans and
employers, as well as federal and
state-sponsored pilot programs, to
practices that achieve the national
committee’s PCMH Recognition.
“We need a better system than
we have now,” Dr. Cusumano says.
“With a medical home, the doc-
tor is still the captain of the team,
but he or she doesn’t have to do
everything. His or her time is bet-
ter spent with the sickest patients
and those with the most complex
issues.”
Doctor Referral Service: 888-522-5585
• Health Scene
15