Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has designated more than 1,800 physicians in approximately 500 practices across the state as Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), creating the largest PCMH effort in the nation. The number of designated physicians grew from 1,200 designated PCMH physicians in 2009.
In the Patient-Centered Medical Home, primary care physicians (pediatricians, internists and family practice doctors) lead care teams that bring focus to their patients' individual health goals and needs. PCMH teams coordinate patients' health care using registries to track patients' conditions, offering extended access to the care team, coordinating complementary care — such as nutrition counseling — and helping patients learn to self manage conditions such as asthma and diabetes.
Preliminary data shows that PCMH-designated doctors are succeeding in managing their patients' care to keep them healthy and prevent complications that require expensive medical services to treat. For example, a review of data shows that PCMH practices have a 2 percent lower rate of adult radiology usage than non-PCMH practices, and PCMH practices have a 2.6 percent lower rate of adult inpatient admissions than non-PCMH practices.
About 5,000 primary care doctors in Michigan are working toward designation as PCMH practices by transforming how their practices deliver health care services to patients.
