PCMH Model Summary

450 Words1 Page

The article I am choosing to write about is the Patient Centered Medical Home model (PCMH) within the military treatment facilities (MTF). The article I found was written by James Arvantes entitled, “U.S. Military Focuses on Patient Care by Implementing PCMH Model.” In 2009, the military moved towards a new treatment care model, one of the first clinics to debut PCMH was at Fort Benning, Georgia. The article states before moving to PCMH model military medicine was like sink or swim model. The physician felt they were practicing a lone and isolated from other colleagues and other members on the health care team. In 2009 with the implementing the PCMH model the physician felt and experience a change in how they practice medicine. It became a more integrated and coordinated effort that allow for higher level of care to the patient population. At the same time PCMH started at the MTF’s, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) also followed suit practicing team base medicine. In the process of transformation the VA and all branches of military medicine have emerged as a major force using the PCMH model, in some cases passing their competitors in the civilian sector. …show more content…

The VA and MTF felt they needed to make the change with emphasizing team-based care. The VA provides care to approximately 8 million beneficiaries with 5.2 of the beneficiaries receiving primary care services. Between 2009 and 2011 there has been 1,000 primary care practices converted to the PCHM model. During that time the VA experienced a 4% decrease in hospitalization. At one of the MTF’s in San Antonio the emergency room saw a 14 percent of reduction in use of emergency room and urgent care. In all the those cases, the physicians leaded the health care team but ancillary services all played their part from case management to admin services it was all in team

Open Document