Patient-centered medical homes reduce costs and unnecessary utilization

Patient-centered medical homes reduce costs and unnecessary utilization, according to a report by the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, of which the AOA is a founding member.

The report, The Patient-Centered Medical Home’s Impact on Cost and Quality: Annual Review of Evidence 2014-2015, highlights the results of a wide variety of studies on the impact of the patient-centered medical home care model.

The greatest impact of cost savings was felt in multi-payer collaboratives. The report also found that older medical homes showed stronger improvements.

The report adds to the solid foundation of evidence that the patient-centered medical home model is effective in transforming care delivery, and underscores the importance of aligning payment and performance. It also notes that there is not yet a single payment model that has been identified as most successful, and that stakeholders are still learning how to align local, regional, and national payer and provider interests and best practices.