Building Medical Homes in State Medicaid and CHIP Programs
Since 2006 more than 30 states have developed policies to improve Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) to advance medical homes. A new Commonwealth Fund–supported <a href="/publications/fund-reports/2009/jun/building-medical-homes-state-medicaid-and-chip-programs">report</a> from the National Academy for State Health Policy summarizes the work in the states and provides state policymakers with examples of promising practices and lessons learned. <br /><br />Looking at 10 states with well-developed medical home initiatives, researchers identified five major strategies for other states to consider in developing their own plans: <br /><br />1. Forming partnerships with key players, including patients, providers, and private sector payers, whose practices the state seeks to change. <br />2. Defining medical homes to help establish provider expectations and implementing processes to recognize primary care practices that meet those expectations. <br />3. Aligning reimbursement and purchasing to support and reward practices that meet performance expectations.<br />4. Supporting practices to help advance patient-centered care. <br />5. Measuring results to assess whether their efforts are succeeding in containing costs and improving the quality of care and patient experiences. <br /><br />The authors conclude the medical home is an innovative strategy for improving quality and curbing the unsustainable growth in health care costs in states, and that medical home programs have been well-supported by Medicaid and CHIP.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2009/jun/building-medical-homes-in-state-medicaid-and-chip-programs