Patient-Centered Medical Home program shares successes on Capitol Hill

Blue Cross’s nationally recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home program is in the news again — this time, on Capitol Hill.

About 100 members of Congress and their staffs learned about the PCMH program — and its significant impact from a cost and quality perspective — on July 10 when Dr. Jean Malouin, medical director, Value Partnerships, and a longtime PCMH-designated physician, Gregg Stefanek, D.O., of Gratiot Family Practice in Alma, participated in a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association briefing.

“It was really gratifying to be able to share our story before such an important audience,” Dr. Malouin said. “Our Michigan program is the largest and longest-running patient-centered program of its kind, and we have great examples of how we’re improving patient health care and making coverage more affordable.”

Michigan’s Blue Cross plan was selected to participate in the forum. The Capitol Hill briefing was designed to spotlight the Washington DC-headquartered Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative and their release of its national report, “Impact of Primary Care Practice Transformation on Cost, Quality and Utilization.”

The report specifically spotlighted Michigan’s PCMH program, noting it is in its ninth year, with significant outcomes.

“The statewide transformation of care has resulted in a 15 percent decrease in adult Emergency Department visits and a 21 percent decrease in adult ambulatory care sensitive inpatient stays,” the report noted. “That these returns contrast considerably with those reported in the past year from near-neighbor Pennsylvania reinforces the notion that primary care transformation efforts can vary significantly not only in approach, but in outcomes.”

Those who attended the Hill briefing came away with a better understanding on how Patient Centered Medical Homes inspire quality in care, cultivate doctor/patient relationships and lower health care costs.

To learn more, view this news release and read the report.