Pharmacist involvement in establishing a patient-centered medical home

Abstract

The health care reform law enacted in March 2010 provides incentives for physicians and other provider groups (e.g., hospitals, health systems) to join together to form accountable care organizations (ACOs).1 In these groups, doctors can better coordinate high-quality patient care, provide disease management and preventive care, and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions. If the organization is successful at providing exceptional patient care and saving the health care system money, the group will benefit from shared savings. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH), an innovative outpatient health care setting being developed under the ACO umbrella, facilitates collaboration between individual patients and all of their health care providers.2 Some of the common elements within PCMH goals are to provide chronic disease state management with evidence-based medicine, to provide team-based care, and to measure quality improvement.3 The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is the accrediting body responsible for PCMH recognition and will evaluate each facility based on core elements and national standards.