Case study: NY health plan, group test 'medical home' model

While there's much discussion of the "medical home" model at industry meet-ups, few health plans have gotten to the point where they're actually putting their money where their mouth is. Albany, NY-based Capital District Physicians Health Plan (CDPHP), however, has decided to make a commitment to the medical home approach.

The regional health plan has put aside $1 million to mount a pilot program testing out its theory that a medical home approach can make practices more efficient, improve outcomes, raise doctor and patient satisfaction and cut costs.The plan includes three medical practices--Latham Medical, Community Care Schodack and Capital Care Family Practice--that will begin offering the program in January 2009. To build the it, CDPHP is working with TransforMED, an affiliate of the American Academy of Family Physicians that just completed a major study of medical homes. TransforMED will begin helping the practices prepare for the transition this month.

What makes the CDPHP program unusual not only is the care model, which stresses team care lead by a physician, but also the fact that physicians are compensated differently than they have been in the past, including pay for phone calls and paperwork. Not only that, physicians' pay service fees would be based on a risk-adjusted model based on a patient's condition, with additional pay for good outcomes and strong patient satisfaction.

To learn more about the CDPHP program:
- read this piece from The Business Review of Albany

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