Study: Medical home plan cut hospital admissions

A new system that assigned a medical home to patients, usually a primary care practice, cut hospital admissions by 20% and costs by 7%, according to a new report. The program at the privately-held, Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System could serve as a model for U.S. healthcare reform, researchers reported. Reports have shown that Americans pay more per capita for healthcare, and yet are more likely to die prematurely from preventable and treatable diseases than people in other developed countries. The secret to reversing this, said Geisinger officials, is paying primary care practices to look out for patients.