Getting Ready to Become a Medical Home
<p>A new study of primary care practices in Massachusetts has found that larger, network-affiliated practices are more likely than smaller, non-affiliated ones to have adopted some of the capabilities necessary to become patient-centered medical homes. Smaller practices may require a greater investment of resources to become medical homes, the authors say.<br><br>As reported in <a href="/publications/in-the-literature/2009/jan/readiness-for-the-patient-centered-medical-home--structural-capabilities-of-massachusetts-primary-ca
">Readiness for the Patient-Centered Medical Home: Structural Capabilities of Massachusetts Primary Care Practices</a>, larger practices were more likely than their smaller counterparts to report having nine medical home capabilities across four areas: patient assistance and reminders, culture of quality, enhanced access to care, and electronic health records. The study, conducted by a research team led by Harvard University's Eric C. Schneider, M.D., appears in the latest issue of the <em>Journal of General Internal Medicine.</em><br><br>Small, non-affiliated physician practices may require the largest investments to become patient-centered medical homes, say the researchers, who add that strong financial or regulatory incentives could encourage smaller practices to grow, merge, or affiliate with networks.</p>