Having a Medical Home Guarantees Equity and Improved Health

Patients who have a medical home will benefit from better health and greater health outcomes, according to Closing the Divide: How Medical Homes Promote Equity in Health Care: Results from the Commonwealth Fund 2006 Health Care Quality Survey, released two months ago.

Although the study found that Hispanics and African Americans are far more likely than whites to be without health insurance and a regular source of medical care, having a medical home “reduces or even eliminates racial and ethnic disparities in access and quality.” The survey reflects that nearly three-fourths of whites, African Americans, and Hispanics housed within a medical home received the medical care they needed when requested.

The study focused on the importance of reminders for preventive care: patients were more likely to get preventive screenings if they receive a reminder notice. “Two-thirds of both insured and uninsured adults with medical homes receive preventive care reminders, compared with half of insured and uninsured adults without medical homes,” the study noted.

The chronic illnesses of adult patients affiliated with a medical home were better managed than those who lacked a regular source of care. Such patients, regardless of insurance, race, or socioeconomic status, were provided better medical care overall. This underscores the relevance of the Medical Home Initiative in Illinois. Since February, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has required most Medicaid beneficiaries to enroll in a medical home. This can “level the playing field” between those participating in Medicaid and those who benefit from private employer–based insurance.

Click here to read Closing the Divide.

What is the medical home model?
The medical home model aims to create a trusting, collaborative relationship between physician and family in order to provide care that is accessible, family-centered, comprehensive, continuous, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally competent. The community-based medical home gives patients a stable center for their health care needs.

The Commonwealth Fund’s president, Karen Davis, and executive vice president for programs, Steve Schoenbaum, give a comprehensive summary and policy analysis of the study. Click here to read their Medical Homes Could Improve Care for All.

The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law is committed to the medical home model of health care. For information on the Shriver Center’s outreach efforts surrounding Illinois’s Medical Home Initiative, contact Patrick Keenan-Devlin.