MetroHealth medical home experiment off to strong start, officials say

Just a few months after launching its patient-centered medical home test, MetroHealth in Cleveland is already reporting that both patients and practioners are starting to see results (Source: “The health-care industry's new hope: Patient-centered care,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 2, 2009).

"The business model of trying to crank people through and increase volume hasn't worked well for health care," said Dr. Nathan Beachy, a family-care physician who is participating in the MetroHealth test. "The thing we really need to focus on is the relationship between the doctor and the patient."

That same sentiment is echoed by Jim Coan, project officer the the Medicare medical Home Demonstration project. "The concept is intended to eliminate the fragmented care that patients get now," he said. "It reduces the amount of tests the patient would get, so you don't have to get three X-rays from three different doctors. It could allow a reduction in hospital re-admissions because patients would follow up more closely."