{"id":6069,"date":"2020-01-17T09:30:01","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T15:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premisehealth.com\/?p=6069"},"modified":"2020-01-17T09:30:01","modified_gmt":"2020-01-17T15:30:01","slug":"what-is-a-medical-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premisehealth.com\/resources\/blog\/what-is-a-medical-home\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Medical Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Breaking Down This Healthcare Term.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think about your best<\/strong> healthcare experience. Hopefully it involved being greeted as you walked in; being taken to an exam room promptly; and spending ample time with a provider who addressed your overall healthcare needs, not just the ailment at hand. When you left, you likely received clear next steps \u2013 And maybe even got a follow-up call to see how you were doing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may have heard this type of high-quality care, where patients feel cared for as human beings with unique needs and are supported by a care team who desires to see improved outcomes, described as a medical home<\/strong>. This technical term is used by accrediting bodies, including the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)<\/a>, to recognize healthcare organizations that meet certain criteria for the delivery of primary care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the term is complicated, it\u2019s meaning is simple: healthcare the way it should be. To break that down, let\u2019s take a look at the criteria organizations must meet to be accredited as a medical home. What sets them apart from other healthcare providers? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical Home 101<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to the name, a medical home isn\u2019t a physical location. It is better defined by the team of providers managing your care and how they deliver it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providers at a medical home take a team-based approach<\/strong> and aim to deliver coordinated care. The goal is to meet people where they are, providing the right care at the right time. On the patient side, the individual is encouraged to be a participant in his or her care. Building relationships<\/strong> between patients and providers is a critical component of a successful medical home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This team-based delivery model enables providers to deliver comprehensive care to patients, resulting in the best possible outcomes. For example, when a patient receives care at an accredited medical home, providers don\u2019t take a \u201csick care\u201d approach \u2013 meaning, they aren\u2019t solely treating an illness. Rather, they pay attention to things like the age, gender, and health history of their patients and make appropriate recommendations. In taking a proactive approach<\/strong>, a medical home provider may recommend any necessary age-appropriate screenings, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These proactive steps also aid in prevention, another key focus in a medical home\u2019s approach to patient care. By helping patients manage their health and ensuring they\u2019re up to date on screenings and vaccines, providers can help patients avoid many issues that are more likely to occur without comprehensive healthcare.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Services and types of providers can vary, but all medical homes offer a variety of health and wellness services, such as primary care, occupational health, behavioral health, dental, and more. By bringing together these services, care can be coordinated for even the highest risk patients. Providers could include physicians, nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists, physical therapist, dentists, and social workers, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By taking a coordinated approach, a medical home is uniquely equipped to manage patients\u2019 healthcare and know what is going on with their overall health. These accredited organizations place a large emphasis on continuity of care and help people coordinate any downstream care, such as referrals to a specialist, to avoid misdiagnoses and unnecessary expenses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if a patient is referred to an orthopedic specialist for a knee problem and is required to have bloodwork done prior to the visit, a medical home will review any bloodwork on file for that patient and coordinate with the orthopedic provider to avoid a repeat blood draw. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Premise, we believe that all patients deserve this type of care. Our primary care<\/a> model is rooted in the medical home model, focusing on a comprehensive, relationship-oriented, team-based approach to care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is medical home care different from other primary care settings?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many employers have taken strides to connect their employees to a medical home model of care. That\u2019s because when employees receive this type of care, there are some noticeable differences in their overall experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the top five differentiators of medical home care compared to other settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n