The patient-centered medical home: history, components, and review of the evidence

Abstract

The US healthcare system is plagued by unsustainable costs and yields suboptimal outcomes, indicating that new models of healthcare delivery are needed. The patient-centered medical home is one model that is increasingly regarded as a promising strategy for improving healthcare quality, decreasing cost, and enhancing the experience of both patients and providers. Conceptually, the patient-centered medical home may be described as combination of the core attributes of primary care-access, continuity, comprehensiveness, and coordination of care-with new approaches to healthcare delivery, including office practice innovations and reimbursement reform. Implementation efforts are gaining momentum across the country, fueled by both private-payer initiatives as well as supportive public policy. High-quality evidence on the effectiveness of the patient-centered medical home is limited, but the data suggest that, under some circumstances, patient-centered medical home interventions may lead to improved outcomes and generate moderate cost savings. Although the patient-centered medical home enjoys broad support by multiple stakeholders, significant challenges to widespread adoption of the model remain.