Patient-centered ’medical home’ models lag in key areas

HealthDay/Washington Post, September 11, 2008

Many large U.S.-based physician groups lack the essential elements needed to create patient-centered "medical homes" designed to put primary-care doctors in charge of coordinating care, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The medical home model is seen by many in the healthcare industry as a promising way to address problems with the country's healthcare delivery system, with supporters believing that comprehensive primary care can ensure the best outcomes for patients. But the study of large medical groups with at least 20 physicians found that the practices are lagging in key areas needed to created a medical home.