Top PCMH Challenge? Coordinating Care with Referral Docs

The Medical Group Management Association says its survey shows that most practices want to become patient-centered medical homes, and finds challenges.
 
Nearly 70% of 341 physician leaders who replied to MGMA’s Patient Centered Medical Home Study: 2011 Report based on 2011 Data said were already in the process of transforming or interested in becoming a PCMH while more than 20% were accredited or recognized as a PCMH by a national organization.

The nationwide survey, conducted in April for Englewood, CO-based MGMA, found the 36% of practices interested in becoming a PCMH were in family medicine, followed by multispecialty practices with primary and specialty care (more than 30%), and pediatrics (more than 10%).

The study found that the top five most common processes practices engaged in as part of the PCMH model were:

1. Assigning patients to a primary care clinician (80%)
2. Addressing patients' mental health issues or concerns and referring them to appropriate agencies (70%)
3. Exchanging clinical information electronically with pharmacies (70%)
4. Involving patients and family members in shared decision making (70%)
5. Maintaining chronic disease registries (45%)