Today, fully 1/3 of our health care spending is wasted on payments for medical mistakes and poor quality care. We also have a system that values expensive technology over basic primary and preventive care, rewards volume of care over outcomes or appropriate care, and makes no distinction in payment based on quality or health outcome. But thanks to the Affordable Care Act, things are looking up.
The health care reform law is advancing a promising approach to addressing these problems: the “Patient-Centered Medical Home.” At the National Partnership, we consider medical homes to be one of the most promising models for delivering truly patient-centered care — they improve access to primary care, help coordinate patient care across settings and providers, and make patients, family caregivers and providers partners in making decisions about care.
Recently, I spoke with the American Academy of Pediatrics about the potential of patient-centered medical homes, how families can get involved in improving quality, and how practices can support patients as partners in care. Take a look!
