5.26.10 | Brandon Glenn

Medical home pilot project gets approved by Ohio Senate

The Ohio Senate joined the House in unanimously approving a bill that would establish 44 patient-centered medical homes in the state.

An increasingly popular concept in healthcare, medical homes are seen by advocates as a way of providing more comprehensive care at lower costs. In a medical home, patients are cared for by a primary care physician who leads a medical team that coordinates all aspects of preventive, acute and chronic needs of patients using the best available evidence and appropriate technology, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

The bill sets up a large advisory group, which consists of various physicians and other medial professionals, to administer the pilot project. Primary care practices “with educational affiliations” from across the state can apply for inclusion in the project, according to the bill.

Of the 44 practices included in the project, 40 are to be led by primary care physicians, while four are to be led by advanced practice nurses.

Practices selected for participation would be eligible to be reimbursed for up to 75 percent of the costs of new information technology needed to convert to a medical home. Practices would also receive “comprehensive training” on how to operate as medical homes. The advisory group is charged with working with the state’s medical and nursing schools to develop training plans.

One drawback of the bill may be that it doesn’t identify any specific sources of funding for the medical homes project. Instead, the advisory group is charged with finding grants, federal funds or private donations to pay for the program.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, and Rep. Peter Ujvagi, D-Toledo. It passed in the Senate with a 33-0 vote after passing in the House by a 97-0 margin in March. It now awaits Gov. Ted Strickland’s signature.

Photo from flickr user stevendepolo

Brandon Glenn MedCity News

Brandon Glenn is the Ohio bureau chief for MedCity News.

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Tags: Columbus, medical home, Ohio, Politics

Comments Post a comment

Maybe the various physicians and other medical professionals could implement these Medical Homes thru or in conjunction with the Medicaid Waiver Program and contract with CMS to provide services to the population in Ohio that are developmentally disabled and eligible for Medicare/Medicaid. They could attempt to negotiate a temporary increase in their provider rates during the trial period of this project to help fund the EHR portion, and provide the much needed care to a well ignored population.
Quality Medical Services for individuals with developmental disabilities living within the community in Waiver settings are becoming much more difficult to obtain as more and more providers drop off the Medicaid and Medicare vendor lists. As individuals with disabilities rely on their Waiver providers to assist them in obtaining medical services in their local communities, it requires more time to locate a vendor which results in less time to coordinate other necessary services for the individual on a day to day basis.
Someone needs to step up and suggest this as an option to the medical community at large in Ohio. Those who are aging and those with developmental disabilities who rely on the Medicaid and Medicare systems for their ongoing health needs deserve a better method of gaining Quality medical services in their local communities. Maybe this project could provide that?
After 30 years of working for people with developmental disabilities I find myself questioning what Ohio holds as important for this population that has seen some really great changes. With all that has transpired in the field, the hard part is just beginning. What we need to remember is that this group of individuals is often the last thought of when change is on the horizon. This time they need to be the first. Change with them in mind first and then spread the knowledge from what was learned.

Comment by Ronald Gfell — July 29, 2010 @ 9:49 am