More Information on Medical Homes
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What if medical providers were paid to keep people healthy? We believe that simple concept could transform health care in Montana. That's the idea behind Patient Centered Medical Homes.
The Office of the Commissioner of Securities & Insurance, Montana State Auditor, is leading an effort to change by facilitating the Montana Medical Home Working Group. The informal advisory group includes insurance companies, medical providers, and consumer advocates working together to lay the groundwork for patient-centered medical homes in Montana.
Montana's Definition for Medical Homes
In Montana, a patient centered medical home is health care directed by primary care providers offering family centered, culturally effective care that is coordinated, comprehensive, continuous, and, when possible, in the patient's community and integrated across systems. Health care is characterized by enhanced access, an emphasis on prevention, and improved health outcomes and satisfaction. Primary care providers receive payment that recognizes the value of medical home services.
A Health Care Community
A medical home is not so much a place, as a community of health professionals, lead by your primary care provider, focused on helping you become as healthy as you can be. Currently, providers are generally paid to treat illness and injury, providing incentives for excessive treatment, tests, and medication, leading to greater cost throughout the system. Though the use of technology and custom designed services, patient-centered medical homes help manage health conditions and prevent illness. The Medical Home Working Group has selected recognition standards from the National Committee for Quality Assurance and is working on performance measures, benchmarks, data systems, and payment schedules, with the plan of initiating pilot sites in 2012.
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