Patient-centered Medical Home Recognition Research Articles

Impact of the PCMH model on post-stroke healthcare utilization

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model has aimed to enhance chronic care in a primary care setting where providers are expected to provide timely post-discharge follow-up and decrease potentially preventable hospital readmissions through coordinated disease management. The study examined PCMH and other (risk) factors associated with 30-day unplanned readmission as well as 7- and 28-day follow-up visit with primary care providers (PCPs). We identified 8424 New York State Medicaid patients having initial stroke discharges during 2016–2018 from the Medicaid claims database and Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System. A patient was in the PCMH group if the attributed provider had a valid National Committee for Quality Assurance PCMH recognition upon patient’s discharge. Cox regression and competing risk analyses were used to estimate the hazard ratios of readmissions and follow-up visits between PCMH and non-PCMH groups. The PCMH group had slightly but not statistically significant lower all-cause and recurrent stroke unplanned readmission rates. While the general follow-up rates between the two groups are similar, the PCMH group had significantly higher rates of stroke-specific 7-day (HR = 1.27, P < 0.01) and 28-day follow-up visits (HR = 1.22, P < 0.01). PCPs play an essential role in post stroke care. Our findings show a significantly higher rate of stroke-specific follow-up visits and a trend towards lower readmissions among patients in the PCMH group. The intervals between stroke discharge and follow-up visit time in our study population were generally greater than the recommended timeframe. We recommend the PCMH care model to improve patients’ primary care follow-up and prevent potential readmissions.

Staffing transformation following Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition among Health Resources & Services Administration-funded health centers.

Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition is designed to promote whole-person team-based and integrated care. Our goal was to assess changes in staffing infrastructure that promoted team-based and integrated care delivery before and after PCMH recognition in Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)-funded health centers (HCs). We identified changes in staffing 2 years before and 3 years after PCMH recognition using 2010-2019 Uniform Data System data among three cohorts of HCs that received PCMH recognition in 2013 ( n = 346), 2014 ( n = 207), and 2015 ( n = 115). Our outcomes were team-based ratio (full-time equivalent medical and nonmedical providers and staff to one primary care physician) and a multidisciplinary staff ratio (allied medical and nonmedical staff to 1,000 patients). We used mixed-effects Poisson regression models. The earlier cohorts served fewer complex patients and were larger before PCMH recognition. Three years following recognition, the 2013 and 2014 cohorts had significantly larger team-based ratios, and all three cohorts had significantly larger multidisciplinary staff ratios. Cohorts varied, however, in the type of staff that drove this change. Both ratios increased in the longer term. Our study suggests that growth in team-based and multidisciplinary staff ratios in each cohort may have been due to a combination of HCs' perceptions of need for specific services, HRSA funding, and technical assistance opportunities. Further research is needed to understand barriers such as costs of employing a multidisciplinary staff, particularly those that cannot directly bill for services as well as whether such changes lead to practice transformation and improved quality of care.

Reasons Primary Care Practices Chose Patient Experience Surveys During Patient-Centered Medical Home Transformation.

Patient-centered medical home takes years to attain. Fifteen-to-eighteen percent of US primary care practices in 2008-2017 sought or maintained patient-centered medical home recognition. We conducted interviews with a stratified-random sample of 105 of these practices to determine why patient experience surveys were chosen. Fifty-one were using a Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey and 53 administering another patient survey. The 3 most common reasons were (1) to compare performance against other practices, which requires systematically collected data across large numbers of practices (ie, the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey), (2) participation in an external patient-centered medical home program, and (3) survey administration cost. Leaders invested in a second patient survey for quality improvement needs.

Factors associated with federally qualified health center financial performance.

To understand factors associated with federally qualified health center (FQHC) financial performance. We used multivariate linear regression to identify correlates of health center financial performance. We examined six measures of health center financial performance across four domains: margin (operating margin), liquidity (days cash on hand [DCOH], current ratio), solvency (debt-to-equity ratio), and others (net patient accounts receivable days, personnel-related expenses). We examined potential correlates of financial performance, including characteristics of the patient population, health center organization, and location/geography. We use 2012-2017 Uniform Data System (UDS) files, financial audit data from Capital link, and publicly available data. We focused on health centers in the 50 US states and District of Columbia, which reported information to UDS for at least 1 year between 2012 and 2017 and had Capital link financial audit data. FQHC financial performance generally improved over the study period, especially from 2015 to 2017. In multivariate regression models, a higher percentage of Medicaid patients was associated with better margins (operating margin: 0.06, p < 0.001), liquidity (DCOH: 0.67, p < 0.001; current ratio: 0.28, p=0.001), and solvency (debt-to equity ratio: -0.08, p=0.004). Moreover, a staffing mix comprised of more nonphysician providers was associated with better margin (operating margin: 0.21, p=0.001) and liquidity (current ratio: 1.12, p < 0.001) measures. Patient-centered medical home (PCMH) recognition was also associated with better liquidity (DCOH: 19.01, p < 0.001; current ratio: 4.68, p=0.014) and solvency (debt-to-equity ratio: -2.03, p < 0.001). The financial health of FQHCs improved with provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which included significant Medicaid expansion and direct funding support for health centers. FQHC financial health was also associated with key staffing and operating characteristics of health centers. Maintaining the financial health of FQHCs is critical to their ability to continuously provide affordable and high-quality care in medically underserved areas.

Using CAHPS patient experience data for patient-centered medical home transformation.

To examine how primary care practices use the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey and its patient-centered medical home (PCMH) items during their PCMH transition. Qualitative study of practices' use of patient experience data during PCMH transformation, based on a random sample of primary care practices engaged in PCMH transformation, stratified by region, practice size, PCMH recognition history, and use of the CAHPS PCMH survey. We interviewed 105 practice leaders from 294 sampled practices (36% response rate) and used content analysis to identify themes about uses of patient experience data for practice improvement during PCMH transformation. Patient experience data were used primarily to assess and track improvements toward PCMH goals and as quality improvement (QI) metrics. CAHPS measures were used most often to discuss best practices, share data with patient advisory councils, and improve provider performance. The CAHPS PCMH survey helped practices improve patient-centeredness, particularly in coordinating care and supporting patient self-management and communication. The CAHPS PCMH items that assisted practices most were about patient self-management and provider referrals. Most practice leaders using the CAHPS PCMH survey felt that its items were actionable for standardizing PCMH changes or making structural changes. Practices administering CAHPS surveys focused on a more diverse set of QI areas. CAHPS surveys were considered actionable for PCMH transformation and used in standardizing and coordinating care. The CAHPS PCMH items were considered integral to the continuous QI needed for moving beyond formal PCMH recognition and maximizing transformation. This supports the National Committee for Quality Assurance's recommendation to administer the CAHPS or CAHPS PCMH survey for PCMH transformation.

Practices and changes associated with patient-centered medical home transformation.

Knowing which patient-centered medical home (PCMH) care delivery changes and quality improvement (QI) practices further PCMH implementation isessential. We used the 2008-2017 National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA) PCMH directory of 15,188 primary care practices that received Level 1, 2, or 3 NCQA PCMH recognition to construct a stratified national sample of 105 practices engaged in PCMH transformation. We examined their QI practices and PCMH changes associated with PCMH transformation. We derived QI practice and PCMH change variables from semistructured interviews. Practice leaders completed the PCMH Assessment (PCMH-A) measuring the practice's degree of PCMH implementation, which is a proxy for patient-centeredness. Controlling for practice characteristics, we regressed PCMH-A scores on QI practice and PCMH change variables. Practices undergoing PCMH transformation nationwide most commonly made care delivery changes in access and continuity of care. To improve quality, practices most commonly engaged in discussing and targeting areas of patient experience improvement, trending performance, and conducting targeted QI. However, practices lower in patient-centeredness as measured by the PCMH-A were more likely to engage in efforts to improve patient experiences, such as reviewing patient experience data or engaging in 1-on-1 provider counseling related to patient interactions. Mature PCMH practices focused on changes in continuity of care. Practices undertake a wide variety of care delivery changes and QI practices simultaneously to meet PCMH requirements. The patient experience-specific QI practices and PCMH care delivery changes that practices make to improve patient-centeredness differ by years of PCMH recognition.

Implementation of Patient Safety Structures and Processes in the Patient-Centered Medical Home.

Although most patient-clinician interactions occur in ambulatory care, little research has addressed measuring ambulatory patient safety or how primary care redesign such as the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) addresses patient safety. Our objectives were to identify PCMH standards relevant to patient safety, construct a measure of patient safety activity implementation, and examine differences in adoptions of these activities by practice and community characteristics. Using a consensus process, we selected elements among a widely adopted, nationally representative PCMH program representing activities that, according to a physician panel, represented patient safety overall and in four domains (diagnosis, treatment delays, medications, and communication and coordination) and generated a score for each. We then evaluated this score among 5,007 practices with the highest PCMH recognition level. Implementation of patient safety activities varied; the few military practices (2.4%) had the highest, and community clinics the lowest, patient safety score, both overall (82.0 and 72.0, respectively, p < .001) and across specific domains. Other practice and community characteristics were not associated with the patient safety score. Understanding better what factors are associated with implementation of patient safety activities may be a key step in improving ambulatory patient safety.

Healthcare workforce transformation: implementing patient-centered medical home standards in an academic medical center

BackgroundLarge scale implementation of new strategies and healthcare delivery standards in academic medical centers (AMCs) requires training of healthcare workforce at different stages of their medical career. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model for healthcare delivery involves adoption by all members of the healthcare workforce, including seasoned professionals and trainees. Though widely known, the PCMH model has been implemented sporadically at large AMCs and methods to implement the model across healthcare workforce have not been well-documented.MethodsTo meet all PCMH standards and achieve sustainable level 3 recognition, the authors implemented in 2014–2015 a multi-pronged approach that capitalized on existing educational infrastructure among faculty, residents, and medical students. Within 18 months, the authors applied new interdisciplinary practices and policies, redesigned residency training in continuity practices and extensively modified medical school curricula.ResultsThese innovative transformational education efforts addressed the six PCMH standards for faculty, residents, and undergraduate medical students. Faculty played a major role as system change agents and facilitators of learning. Residents learned to better understand patients’ cultural needs, identify ‘at-risk’ patients, ensure continuity of care, and assess and improve quality of care. Medical students were exposed to PCMH core standards throughout their training via simulations, training in the community and with patients, and evaluation tasks. By implementing these changes across the healthcare workforce, the AMC achieved PCMH status in a short time, changed practice culture and improved care for patients and the community. Since then, the AMC has been able to maintain PCMH recognition annually with minimal effort.ConclusionsSuccessful strategies that capitalize on existing strengths in infrastructure complemented by innovative educational offerings and inter-professional partnerships can be adapted by other organizations pursuing similar transformation efforts. This widespread transformation across the healthcare workforce facilitate a deep-rooted change that enabled our academic medical center to sustain PCMH recognition.

Model Homes: Evaluating Approaches to Patient-centered Medical Home Implementation.

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model has been widely adopted, but the evidence on its effectiveness remains mixed. One potential explanation for these mixed findings is variation in how the model is implemented by practices. To identify the impact of different approaches to PCMH adoption on health care utilization in a long-term, geographically diverse sample of patients. Difference-in-differences evaluation of PCMH impact on cost and utilization. A total of 5,314,284 patient-year observations from the HealthCore Integrated Research Database, and 5943 practices which adopted the PCMH model in 14 states between 2011 and 2015. PCMH adoption, as defined by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Six claims-based utilization measures, plus total health care expenditures. We employ hierarchical clustering to organize practices into groups based on their PCMH capabilities, then use generalized difference-in-differences models with practice or patient fixed effects to estimate the effect of PCMH recognition (overall and separately by the groups identified by the clustering algorithm) on utilization. PCMH adoption was associated with a >8% reduction in total expenditures. We find significant reductions in emergency department utilization and outpatient care, and both lab and imaging services. In our by-group results we find that while the reduction in outpatient care is significant across all 3 groups, the reduction in emergency department utilization is driven entirely by 1 group with enhanced electronic communications. The PCMH model has significant impact on patterns of health care utilization, especially when heterogeneity in implementation is accounted for in program evaluation.

Preventing tipping points in high comorbidity patients: A lifeline from health coaches

Introduction/Background This pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial (cRCT) enrolls patients with multiple chronic diseases (MCDs) who are at highest risk for destabilization (unplanned hospitalizations, increased disability). Patients with multiple chronic diseases are often excluded from clinical trials because of their multiple medical conditions and worse health outcomes, which significantly confound Results. Few evidenced- based strategies exist to comprehensively address the needs of these patients. Objective(s) Among 1920 adult patients with multiple chronic diseases defined as a Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) > 4, who are established primary care patients of 16 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in NYC (n=8) and Chicago (n=8), which serve predominantly low income, Black and Latino patients, this pragmatic cluster RCT evaluates the comparative effectiveness of two approaches to preventing significant destabilization ('tipping points') that leads to unplanned hospitalization and increased disability. Methods Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs, n=16) are cluster-randomized to: 1) Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) (Usual Care);or 2) PCMH plus a Health Coach (PCMH + HC) intervention that employs a positive affect/ self-affirmation strategy to motivate patients to set life goals, improve self-management and handle psychosocial and other stressors (Experimental). Primary and secondary outcomes include: unplanned hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits aggregated by PCORnet Clinical Research Networks, Health Information Exchange (New York City), and hospital alerts (Chicago), at baseline, 6, 12, 24-months and changes in disability. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we shifted to remote recruitment, and added oral consenting, egift cards and mailed letters. Results The PCMH + HC arm is designed to identify and prevent destabilization leading to hospitalization or ED visits that are more often triggered by psychosocial issues-family, community and environmental-than by medical issues. The study is powered to detect a 33% relative reduction in% hospitalized (a 5% absolute reduction) in PCMH + HC compared to PCMH only. Additionally, we expect that reducing hospitalization will result in reduced disability. Conclusion This intervention is designed to help participants manage life events that lead to 'tipping points' or overwhelming situations that result in unplanned hospitalizations and increased disability. FQHCs with PCMH recognition focus on care coordination. Patients need assistance to deal with many social and health related challenges they face and need help in communicating with health care providers and navigating a complex health care system. The PCMH + HC intervention will determine if adding health coaches helps patients to better manage their sources of stress, improve self-care and reduce unplanned hospitalizations. The impact of COVID-19 on changes to study processes and patient outcomes will be examined.

Some Aspects of Patient Experience Assessed by Practices Undergoing Patient-Centered Medical Home Transformation Are Measured by CAHPS, Others Are Not.

Delivering care as a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is being widely adopted across the United States by primary care practices to better meet patient needs. A key PCMH element is measuring patient experience for practice improvement. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) PCMH recognition program requires practices to both measure patient experience and engage in continuous practice/quality improvement to attain PCMH recognition and then throughout full PCMH transformation. The NCQA recommends but does not require that practices administer the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) clinician and group patient experience survey (CG-CAHPS) plus 14 CAHPS PCMH items, known as the CAHPS PCMH survey. We examine aspects of patient experience measured by practices with a varying number of years on their journey of PCMH transformation. We randomly selected practices from the 2008-2017 NCQA directory of practices that had applied for PCMH recognition based on region, physician count, number of years and level of PCMH recognition, and use of the CG-CAHPS PCMH survey. We collected characteristics of the practices from practice leader(s) knowledgeable about the practice's PCMH history and patient experience data. We confirmed the patient experience surveys used during their PCMH history and requested copies of their non-CAHPS survey(s). For practices not administering the recommended CG-CAHPS survey (53/105 practices), we obtained and coded the content of their non-CAHPS surveys (68%; 36/53). We mapped the patient experience domains and specific measures to the CG-CAHPS survey (versions 2.0 and 3.0), CAHPS PCMH item set (versions 2.0 and 3.0), and the available CG-CAHPS supplemental items. Whether or not practices administered the CG-CAHPS items, most of them addressed topics contained in the CG-CAHPS survey such as Access to care, Provider communication, Office staff helpfulness/courteousness, Care coordination, and Shared decision-making. The most common CAHPS measures included were Office staff helpfulness/courteousness and Provider communication. Common non-CAHPS measures included were Ease of scheduling, Being informed about delays, and Provider helpfulness/courteousness. NCQA PCMH practices included CAHPS items on their patient experience surveys even if they did not administer the full CG-CAHPS survey or the recommended CAHPS PCMH survey. To enhance the usefulness of patient experience surveys for practices undergoing PCMH changes, additional CAHPS measures could be developed related to key areas of PCMH change, including expanded access to care (ie, after-hours and weekend visits, ease of scheduling, being informed about delays), use of shared decision-making, and improvements in provider communication (ie, the provider is courteous, communication by other clinical staff members with the patient). These additional measures would assist practice leaders in capturing the breadth and depth of their PCMH transformation and its influence on providing more patient-centered care. Developing such items would help standardize the measurement of changes related to patient experience during PCMH transformation. Research is needed to determine whether a CAHPS survey is the best source of this information.

Nationwide Qualitative Study of Practice Leader Perspectives on What It Takes to Transform into a Patient-Centered Medical Home.

Despite widespread adoption of patient-centered medical home (PCMH), little is known about why practices pursue PCMH and what is needed to undergo transformation. Examine reasons practices obtained and maintained PCMH recognition and what resources were needed. Qualitative study of practice leader perspectives on PCMH transformation, based on a random sample of primary care practices engaged in PCMH transformation, stratified by US region, practice size, PCMH recognition history, and practice use of Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) PCMH survey. 105 practice leaders from 294 sampled practices (36% response rate). Content analysis of interviews with practice leaders to identify themes. Most practice leaders had local control of PCMH transformation decisions, even if practices adopted quality initiatives under the direction of an organization or network. Financial incentives, being in a statewide effort, and the intrinsic desire to improve care or experiences were the most common reasons practice leaders decided to obtain PCMH recognition and pursue associated care delivery changes. Leadership support and direction were highlighted as essential throughout PCMH transformation. Practice leaders reported needing specialized staff knowledge and significant resources to meet PCMH requirements, including staff knowledgeable about how to implement PCMH changes, track and monitor improvements, and navigate implementation of simultaneous changes, and staff with specific quality improvement (QI) expertise related to evaluating changes and scaling-up programs. PCMH efforts necessitated support and assistance to frontline, on-site practice leaders leading care delivery changes. Such change efforts should include financial incentives (e.g., direct payment or additional reimbursement), leadership direction and support, and internal or external staff with experience with the PCMH application process, implementation changes, and QI expertise in monitoring process and outcome data. Policies that recognize and meet the needs of on-site practice leaders will better promote primary care practice transformation and move practices further toward their PCMH transformation goals.

The Impact of the PCMH Model on Poststroke Follow‐up Visits and Hospital Readmissions

Research ObjectiveThe patient‐centered medical home (PCMH) model has been developed to improve overall quality of care delivered by primary care providers. PCMH recognized providers are expected to reduce gaps of transitions from hospitals to home care and community services, provide better disease management for patients, and avoid hospital readmissions due to recurrent disease exacerbations. In this study, we examined the impact of PCMH among stroke patients. Stroke generally involves complications that require coordinated care. Timely follow‐up is an essential component of transition to outpatient care. The study evaluated follow‐up visits and hospital readmissions after stroke discharges to better understand whether PCMH leads to better quality of care for the stroke population.Study DesignRecords of inpatient and follow‐up visits between January 1, 2016, and January 31, 2018, were extracted from the New York State Department of Health Medicaid claims database. Additional inpatient records for dual eligible members were obtained from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS). Consecutive or overlapping inpatient records due to transferring to other facilities or nonacute inpatient settings (eg, rehabilitation, skill nursing facility) were concatenated and treated as a single inpatient stay. Stroke hospitalizations were identified by inpatient stays starting with an acute phase and with stroke primary diagnosis codes. Follow‐up visits were defined as outpatient services rendered by primary care providers. Each patient was attributed to a primary care provider based on the number of primary care services during a 2‐year period prior to the stroke admission date. A patient is in the PCMH group if the attributed provider obtained PCMH recognition anytime during the study period. Cox regression analyses were performed to examine 7‐day follow‐up visit and 30‐day unplanned readmission rates. Model variables include patients’ demographics and chronic conditions, stroke type, and characteristics of the inpatient stay.Population StudiedThe study population included New York State Medicaid members aged 18 or older having their first stroke discharge between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017. Patients without attributed providers or who died within 30 days of discharge were excluded. The final sample for readmission analysis consisted of 5,692 (PCMH n = 3,160) index stroke hospitalizations, and 3,970 (PCMH n = 2,288) of these inpatient stays contributed by nondual eligible members were used for follow‐up visit analysis.Principal FindingsThere were 974 (43%) discharges in the PCMH group (n = 2,288) followed by all‐condition 7‐day follow‐up visit, while the non‐PCMH group (n = 1682) had 686 (41%). In particular, the PCMH group had a higher rate of stroke‐specific 7‐day follow‐up visits (hazard ratio = 1.394, P &lt; .01). Among all 5,692 index stroke hospitalizations, there were 269 (8.5%) 30‐day all‐caused readmissions and 68 (2.2%) recurrent strokes from the PCMH group (n = 3160), while the non‐PCMH group had 233 (9.2%) 30‐day all‐caused readmissions and 66 (2.6%) recurrent strokes.ConclusionsThe PCMH patients had better quality for timely follow‐up visits and fewer unplanned readmissions. The stroke‐specific follow‐up visit rate is significantly higher for the PCMH group.Implications for Policy or PracticePCMH may benefit stroke patients, and PCMH primary care providers could play a more active role in stroke condition management.

The Role of Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition in Addressing Public Health Priorities.

American Public Health Association's (APHA's) vision for creating the healthiest nation in one generation has been driven by clear priorities to rebuild the public health infrastructure, to ensure access to care, and to reduce health disparities. The journey toward APHA's vision has required and benefited from a variety of interventions including congressional acts, government regulations, public health policy changes, innovative ideas and technology, novel health care reimbursement strategies, and voluntary certifications. American Public Health Association's endorsement of the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of health care delivery as instrumental to its vision has been an impetus for several PCMH recognition standards. This review gathers evidence from academic and professional literature on how achieving accreditation as a PCMH advances APHA's public health priorities. The documentations of 3 national PCMH accreditation programs (Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, National Committee for Quality Assurance, and The Joint Commission) are reviewed, and their standard categories and performance measurement criteria checklists are mapped to both APHA priorities and the Joint Principles of PCMH. Further context for the importance of achieving each measurement criteria while identifying additional opportunities to address APHA priorities in each accreditation standard category is discussed.

Actionable Analysis: Toward a Jurisdictional Evaluation of Primary Care Access in the Community Context.

Primary care is the foundation of health care systems and has potential to alleviate inequities in population health. We examined multiple measures of adult primary care access, health status, and socioeconomic position at the New York City Council District level—a unit of analysis both relevant to and actionable by local policymakers. The results showed significant associations between measures of primary care access and health status after adjustment for socioeconomic factors. We found that an increase of 1 provider per 10 000 people was associated with a 1% decrease in diabetes rates and a 5% decrease in rates of adults without an influenza immunization. Furthermore, higher rates of primary care providers in high-poverty districts accepted Medicaid and had Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition, increasing constituent accessibility. Our findings highlight the significant contribution of primary care access to community health; policies and resource allocation must prioritize primary care facility siting and provider recruitment in low-access areas.

Primary Care Quality Improvement Metrics and National Committee on Quality Assurance Medical Home Recognition for Children With Medical Complexity.

Introduction:The Complex Care Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center developed and implemented a set of evidence-based clinical process measures of immunization delivery, preventive and chronic condition laboratory screening, and behavioral health medication surveillance for use in the primary care setting.Methods:Improvement activities focused on 4 measures across 4 domains mandated by the National Committee on Quality Assurance for patient-centered medical home recognition. Interventions were implemented in phases from January 2017 to October 2018. The goal was the improvement in immunizations, preventive lead screening, vitamin D testing in chronic conditions, and behavioral health medication surveillance. Preventative lipid screening in the entire population and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels in patients with Down syndrome were also measured.Results:The offering and the completion of an immunization bundle increased from a mean of 61.0% to a mean of 83.7% of patients. Eligible patients with documented lead surveillance increased from 61.2% to 96.5%. Patients with documented 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels increased from 72.2% to 87.8%. The percentage of patients metabolically monitored while taking an atypical antipsychotic continued at 92.0%.Conclusions:Using quality improvement education, data measurement/feedback, electronic medical record optimization/decision support, and care gap identification with planned care, the Complex Care Center demonstrated improved reliability in needed immunization delivery and laboratory screenings for a heterogeneous primary care population of children with medical complexity. As the numbers of children with medical complexity rise, so does the importance of reliable processes and relevant measures for quality in their unique care delivery systems.

Variation in Triple Aim Measures: Implications of Clinical Signatures in Family Medicine Residency Programs

Evidence from several specialties suggests that practice patterns developed in residency influence the quality and cost of care long after completion of training. Improving the quality, cost, and patient experience of care (the "Triple Aim") is foundational to future health systems change. We measured variation in Triple Aim measures among family medicine residency programs in a regional quality improvement collaborative (I3 Population Health Collaborative). We calculated medians and interquartile ranges for each of 11 Triple Aim measures and compared them with median splits of population and practice characteristics, including payer mix, patient race and age, electronic health record used, registry use, and National Committee for Quality Assurance patient-centered medical home recognition. All 22 participating family medicine residency programs provided baseline data. The number of practices reporting data on individual measures ranged from 9 to 17 (41%-77%). We found variation averaging 51% across all measures, from a low of 12% for readmission rates to 94% for emergency department visit rates. Variations were stable over time. We found no significant relationships between practice or population characteristics and measures, nor between practice characteristics and outcomes variation. The 22 family medicine residency programs in our study showed substantial variation in quality, cost, and patient experience of care. These variations did not appear to result from differences in practice characteristics, payer mix, or patient demographics.

Multiyear Performance Trends Analysis of Primary Care Practices Demonstrating Patient-Centered Medical Home Transformation: An Observation of Quality Improvement Indicators among Outpatient Clinics.

Despite the ever-changing requirements of modern policy, payers seek interventions for care delivery improvement through value-based care models. Prior research acknowledges the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) as a tool for performance and outcomes improvement. However, these studies lack empirical evidence of performance trends across medical homes. A retrospective observational study was conducted to describe national trends in National Committee for Quality Assurance PCMH recognition for more than 23 000 primary care practices across the United States from 2008 to 2017. More than half of recognized practices scored 100% pass rates for activities related to appointment availability, patient care planning, and data for population management. The most common underperforming PCMH activities were for practice team, referral tracking and follow-up, and quality improvement implementation. Study findings indicate that patient-centered care collaboration between clinical and nonclinical team members, primary care provider coordination with specialty care providers, and practice implementation of clinical quality improvement methodologies are particularly challenging activities.

The impact of patient-centered medical homes on medication adherence?

Accreditation of providers helps resolve the pervasive information asymmetries in health care markets. However, meeting accreditation standards typically involves flexibility in implementation, leading to heterogeneity in performance. For example, the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a leading model for recognizing high-performing primary care practices. Flexibility in PCMH implementation allows for varying degrees of emphasis on processes designed to enhance medication adherence. To assess the impact of the PCMH on adherence, we combine 6years of detailed patient claims data with a novel dataset containing detailed practice-level PCMH attributes. We study the effects of the number and configuration of adherence-relevant capabilities, using variation in the timing of PCMH adoption to estimate its impact. While PCMH adoption improved overall medication adherence, when combining claims data with the unique recognition data detailing what PCMH capabilities were adopted, we find that these gains are concentrated among patients in practices that adopted more adherence-relevant capabilities. Despite mixed evidence in the literature concerning costs and utilization, our results indicate that PCMH recognition improves medication adherence.

Patient-Centered Medical Home Status and Preparedness to Assess Resident Milestones: A CERA Study.

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model has been proposed as the ideal model for delivering primary care and is focused on improving patient safety and quality, reducing costs, and enhancing patient satisfaction. The mandated Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education educational milestones for evaluation of resident competency represent the skills graduates will utilize after graduation. Many of these skills are reflected in the PCMH model. We sought to determine if residency programs whose main family medicine (FM) practice sites have achieved PCMH recognition are therefore more prepared to evaluate milestones. A national Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance (CERA) survey of family medicine program directors (PDs) was conducted during June and July 2015 to determine if PCMH recognition influences PDs' ability to evaluate training methods and their level of preparedness to evaluate milestones. The response rate for the survey was 53.3% (252/473). Nearly two-thirds of the PDs (62.7%) reported that their main FM practice site had earned PCMH recognition. There was no statistical difference between non-PCMH-recognized vs PCMH-recognized programs in how PDs perceived that their program was prepared to assess residents' milestone levels overall (P=0.414). Residents of PCMH-recognized programs were more likely to receive training for team-based care (P=0.009), system improvement plans (P<0.001), root-cause analysis (P=0.002), and health behavior change (P=0.003). PCMH recognition itself did not improve preparedness of FM residency programs to assess milestones. Residents from programs whose main FM practice site is PCMH-recognized are more likely to be trained in the key concepts and tasks associated with the PCMH model, tools that they are expected to utilize extensively after graduation.