Back in 2006 an estimated 2.2 million Virginians were living with chronic diseases, running up $24.6 billion in health care costs. The numbers are far higher today. One reason costs are so high is that care is so fragmented. Patients often have multiple providers, treatment plans and prescriptions. Physicians, hospitals and other providers operate in silos, providing care without complete information about what others are doing. The lack of communication leads to unnecessary emergency room and hospital admissions.
The au current idea for dealing with this mess is the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), in which the “home” is not a physical place but a personal physician who leads a team of providers to plan and deliver ongoing care for the “whole person.” The idea is catching on, and a General Assembly report, “Chronic Health Care Homes,” describes what’s happening in Virginia.
The Family Medicine Group in Vinton was the first practice in Virginia to be certified as a PCMH. Now, 18 Carillion physician practices in the Roanoke and New River Valley areas are recognized as NCQA Level-3 (highest) PCMHs. Additionally, an increasing number of practices in the Hampton Roads area are transforming themselves into PCMHs. Physicians and faculty of Eastern Virginia Medical School and several Sentara practices are in the application process for recognition as a medical home.
In the meantime, a Virginia Innovation Center, established as a nonprofit center hosted by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, “will serve as a resource” in Virginia by (1) researching and disseminating knowledge about innovative models of health promotion and health care; (2) developing demonstration projects to test innovative delivery models; and (3) helping Virginia employers, providers, purchasers, health plans, and communities accelerate their pace of innovation. (That information was based upon a 2010 communication to JCHC staff but I can find no indication from a Google search or a search of the Chamber website that this center exists yet.)
Based on the study findings, the Joint Commission on Health Care resolved to continue monitoring the progress of the concept.
— JAB
