Forty-six percent of physician practices do not meet national standards to qualify as "medical homes," or practices able to manage ongoing care for patients and coordinate care among specialists and other healthcare facilities, according to a news release from the University of Michigan Health System.
U-M Health led the study, which found that larger, multispecialty groups have greater potential for meeting medical home standards, but nine out of 10 Americans receive care from physicians who practice in smaller, single-specialty groups.
"Our study findings are particularly worrisome because the medical home model of care is seen as providing higher quality, more cost-efficient care," lead author John Hollingsworth, MD, MS, said in the release. "Ideally, medical homes will help keep patients with chronic diseases from getting lost in the shuffle of our complex, fragmented healthcare system, yet a growing number of patients do not have access to them."
Dr. Hollingsworth and his colleagues are urging policy-makers to address challenges facing smaller practices to make the benefits of medical homes more widely accessible.
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U-M Health led the study, which found that larger, multispecialty groups have greater potential for meeting medical home standards, but nine out of 10 Americans receive care from physicians who practice in smaller, single-specialty groups.
"Our study findings are particularly worrisome because the medical home model of care is seen as providing higher quality, more cost-efficient care," lead author John Hollingsworth, MD, MS, said in the release. "Ideally, medical homes will help keep patients with chronic diseases from getting lost in the shuffle of our complex, fragmented healthcare system, yet a growing number of patients do not have access to them."
Dr. Hollingsworth and his colleagues are urging policy-makers to address challenges facing smaller practices to make the benefits of medical homes more widely accessible.
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