Healthcare in America is evolving rapidly and so the providers of care must evolve with it. Pay-for-performance is replacing fee-for-service, so provider reimbursements will be based on their compliance with pre-established quality benchmarks rather than just service delivery.
Accountability and the concept of Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) are at the core of this emerging change and doctors across the country must prepare for it. But what are Patient Centered Medical Homes? Patient-Centered Medical Homes provide patient-centered care based around a core set of principles aiming to improve quality, safety, reduce cost, improve clinical outcomes, physician and staff satisfaction and patient engagement. It is all about producing results, not volume.
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) is another concept of delivering care in which physicians are held responsible for improving outcomes, quality of care and reducing cost through shared responsibility. ACOs comprise of many “medical homes” since they are responsible for cost saving measures for population outside of their assigned groups and not just primary care. Hospitals, specialists are also part of ACOs in order to improve outcomes throughout the entire care continuum. In this model of care delivery, stakeholders share profit after demonstrating cost savings.
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One of the aims of the healthcare reform is to build stronger patient-physician relationships, encouraging patients to become more educated and responsible for their health.
The following tactics can help steer your practice towards patient-centered care:
- Coordination: Partner up with other clinicians in your area to expand access through an “on-call” provider after hours. This can have a significant impact on patients achieving a better level of care by offering extended coverage for emergency situations.
- Improve transitions of care (TOC): Consult with patients on the steps they need to take towards wellness after they leave your clinic or another care setting to ensure care continuity.
- Track patient adherence: Utilize population management tools for outreach and disparity reduction. In addition to improving quality of care for the patients, getting these patients in for needed care generates revenue for the practice.
- Expand access to care: Open access or same-day appointment scheduling can have a significant impact on no-show rates. You may also wish to expand clinic hours to improve clinical access. Measure physician access and staff responsiveness: Patient portals create a place for secure email exchange for medical questions, refill requests, Q&A and appointment requests. Secured messaging with patients is one of the requirements of Meaningful Use Stage 2 and can significantly cut down on inefficient workflows.
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The writer is a leading Health IT analyst contributing regularly on some of the most pressing topics like Electronic Health Records, Practice Management, eRx, Patient Portal, Billing Services, Compliance and Privacy and Security.
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