The Patient-Centered Medical Home model abbreviated as PCMH was introduced by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Osteopathic Association and American College of Physicians in 2007. It is the advanced primary care delivery model that struggles to obtain better care coordination, access, prevention, safety and quality with in the primary care practice setting, and to produce the strong partnership and collaboration among the primary care physician and the patient (Patient Centered Primary care Collaborative, 2010). According to these model payers often reward a bonus on per member per month basis to the health care providers. So that they work with sincerity and wholeheartedly and the primary care services for individual patient can be improved in the Patient Centered Medical Home. The medical home model is referred several times in recent health reform efforts as a great way to promote good health outcomes via care coordination. According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality medical home is not simply a setting or a place but it is a model of organization of primary care that provides the complete functions f primary healthcare. There are five features of the medical home that are (Patient Centered Primary care Collaborative, 2010):
Patient Centered
The development of the partnership relation among patient, practitioner and the families of the patient make sure that decisions taken will respect the wants, preferences and needs of the patients and patients are supported in a way that they can make decisions and can take part in their personal care.
Comprehensive
All the team members of health care providers are accountable and responsible for the physical and mental needs of health care for the patient that involves the wellness and prevention, chronic care and acute care.
Coordinated
Quality health care is organized and managed in a way that all the elements of the health care system covers appropriately, for example home health care, specialty care, community support and services and hospitals.
Easily Accessible
Patients can access the quality health care services without wasting their precious time, by avoiding long queues, off hours care, round the clock access via telephone or internet and strong coordination and communication via innovations of health information technology.Committed to the provision of quality and safety. Health care practitioners and staff enhance the quality promotion through the utilization of health information technology and other tools to make sure that the patients and their families can make appropriate and informed decisions about their health and wellness.
While Health Management Organization is defined as an organization that contributes or arranges the provision of managed quality care for self-funded health care benefit plans, insurance of health, individuals and others and act as a bridge between health care providers that includes health care practitioners, hospitals and etc on a prepaid basis. Health Management Organizations requires members to select and recruit a primary care physician. Primary Care physician is an immediate health care provider that provides access to the medical services but this not happens always ...