The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH): A model for achieving responsive, effective health care
Research shows that establishing a strong, primary care-based health system has many benefits, including better health for people at a lower cost. That's why the ACT Center has worked through the decades to support and strengthen primary care practices as the cornerstone of care, including recent work to define, support, and evaluate the development of patient centered medical homes (PCMHs) in both commercial and safety net settings.
PCMHs are practices in which patients receive well-coordinated services and enhanced access to a care team. Providers practicing in PCMHs use decision support tools, measure their performance, engage patients in their own care, and conduct quality improvement activities to address patients' needs. The PCMH model has been shown to improve clinical quality and patient experience, while in some studies reducing clinician burnout and health system costs.
Learn more about our work to advance the PCMH model of care
Safety Net Medical Home Initiative
Care Coordination Model
Featured publications
Wagner EH, Coleman K, Reid RJ, Phillips K, Abrams MK, Sugarman JR. The changes involved in patient-centered medical home transformation. Prim Care. 2012 Jun;39(2):241-59. doi: 10.1016/j.pop.2012.03.002. Epub 2012 Apr 24. PubMed
Coleman K, Phillips KE, Van Borkulo N, Daniel DM, Johnson KE, Wagner EH, Sugarman JR. Med Care. Unlocking the black box: supporting practices to become patient-centered medical homes. 2014 Nov;52(11 Suppl 4):S11-7. doi:10.1097/MLR.0000000000000190. PubMed
Sugarman JR, Phillips KE, Wagner EH, Coleman K, Abrams MK. The safety net medical home initiative: transforming care for vulnerable populations. Med Care. 2014 Nov;52(11 Suppl 4):S1-10. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000207. PubMed
Daniel DM, Wagner EH, Coleman K, Schaefer JK, Austin BT, Abrams MK, Phillips KE, Sugarman JR. Assessing progress toward becoming a patient-centered medical home: an assessment tool for practice transformation. Health Serv Res. 2013 Dec;48(6 Pt 1):1879-97. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12111. Epub 2013 Oct 21. Full text
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