Early findings from a Commonwealth Fund–supported evaluation of one of the first medical home programs involving multiple payers show that participating physician practices achieved some notable improvements, including a significant reduction in emergency department visits for conditions that are treatable in an ambulatory care setting.
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine and led by Meredith B. Rosenthal of the Harvard School of Public Health, also found that the five small, independent primary care practices taking part in the Rhode Island–based program improved their ability over two years to prospectively manage their patient populations and to track and coordinate care.