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AHRQ/Mathematica Research on PCMH and Complex Patients

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in conjunction with Mathematica completed a study of five different medical practices to attempt to begin to identify key components they had in common in successfully implementing patient-centered medical homes.   The outcome was published in the Annals of Family Medicine (Jan/Feb 2012 issue).   Of note, the six areas identified as contributing most significantly to success were: The existence of care coordination; EHRs/IT  and IT support (seems obvious enough but just implementing a full-blown EHR and management system doesn’t mean it can be used optimally – clinically OR financially); QI activities, particularly involving the use of the EHR to data mine and make the most effective use of that data; learning opportunities for staff (peer-to-peer in particular) and finally a compensation/payment system which promotes increased team-based care.

Ultimately, the paper concluded that additional research would refine knowledge further to identify the models which will be most effective for specific groups of patients and sizes of practices.  To see the paper, follow our link.