Government
Medicare joins Vermont medical home demo
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 28, 2009
The Dept. of Health and Human Services announced a new patient-centered medical home demonstration project that will build on a Vermont model, marking the first time Medicare will be a full partner with Medicaid and private insurers on such an effort.
The demonstration of the "advanced primary care" model will give doctors supplemental payments for achieving nationally recognized quality standards, coordinating care across multidisciplinary teams and monitoring patients' care outside the office using health information technology. Under the Vermont model, private insurers work in coordination with Medicaid to set uniform standards for medical homes.
States wishing to participate in the program must certify that they already have established cooperative agreements between private payers and Medicaid, and physicians must meet a stringent set of qualifications. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will develop application materials later this fall with the expectation of launching the demonstration next year.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/09/28/gvbf0928.htm.
