The pennsylvania state university schreyer honors college department of health policy and administration implementation of the patient centered medical home (pcmh) model: a systematic literature review

As health systems strive to become more patient-centered, primary care practices are encouraged to transform through innovative practice redesign. In the attempt to promote quality improvement with sustainable methods of primary care, the sector is faced with multiple highperforming models from which has evolved the Patient Centered Medical Home (“medical home”) or PCMH. The comprehensive medical home design has developed from various early model elements as the course of PCMH dissemination dates back to 1967. This study examines the patient centered medical home model through its evolution, mode of implementation (i.e. 10 Building Blocks (Bodenheimer et al.)), and its associated outcomes observed within primary care. The purpose of this study is to describe the role of the medical home model in the redesign of U.S. primary care and summarize the effectiveness of PCMH implementation aligned with quality improvement efforts through its 5 functions as defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Comprehensive Care, Patient-Centered Care, Coordinated Care, Accessibility, and Quality and Safety. A systematic literature review of (n=21) studies were conducted to examine the following research question: Are the associated changes in care quality worth the total investment, cost and training endured during patient centered medical home transformation? Three common themes were identified across studies included in the review: the role of disparities, continuous training and personnel effort. Study findings highlight the importance of primary care redesign as a vital investment used to sustain the larger United States health care system.