Medical Home Initiative Found to Reduce Hospital, ED Use
<p>An evaluation of a multipayer patient-centered medical home initiative involving 15 physician practices and 98,000 patients in Colorado found sustained reductions in hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) use over three years, though quality-of-care results were mixed.</p><p>Writing in the <em>Journal of General Internal Medicine, </em>the research team, which included Harvard University’s Meredith Rosenthal and The Commonwealth Fund’s Eric Schneider, M.D., reported that the program produced nearly $5 million per year in savings as a result of lower ED use, though increased use of other services meant there were no overall cost savings. </p>
<p>By delivering primary care services in a proactive, coordinated manner, the medical home model seeks to improve health outcomes for patients, while at the same time lowering costs through avoidance of emergency care and unnecessary hospital stays.</p>