Health Care Delivery Model

One innovative health care delivery model that incorporates an interdisciplinary care delivery team is the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). According to Stokowski (2012), a PCMH is not a new idea. In the 1960s, this model was introduced as a way to handle the care of special needs children. What’s innovative about this model is its application in recent use.

Stokowski (2012) explained the structure and underlying principles of the PCMH. The PCMH is a model where the patient’s health is managed from A to Z. The innovative aspect of this model is within the structure of goal-oriented patient care. Each patient is under the care of a health care team consisting of doctors, nurses, and educators. The nurse plays an important part of this team as the facilitator of information amongst specialists, if need be, making sure the flow of information is consistent across information channels, being team leaders in charge of care for the patient, and a nurse who manages all the teams to ensure consistency and quality of care. The outcome is increased patient satisfaction and improved health outcomes for the patient. The proactive follow-up with patients, and having a team follow up with consistency to educate and check on the patient periodically to ensure patient compliance with prescription medication protocols, as well as the teamwork and collaboration with every step of care is what is credited for the success of this model in increasing patient satisfaction and decreasing overall costs. Less hospital and doctor visits translate into healthcare cost reduction.

The Initiative on the Future of Nursing (n. d.) describes the model in action in the care of American Veterans. If the patient has diabetes, for instance, the patient arrives at the clinic and is treated, as well as educated on how to monitor for blood sugar and administer insulin. A nurse calls the patient to see if he is complying with the health care protocol a week or two later, as well as set up future appointments. If the patient goes to the hospital, someone from the team stops by to see how the patient is doing, as well as coordinate information for the patient with the hospital staff and any specialists. The outcome is improved patient satisfaction and health outcomes. 

References

Initiative on the Future of Nursing. (n. d.). The patient-centered medical home. Retrieved from http://thefutureofnursing.org/resource/detail/patient-centered-medical-home 

Stokowski, L. A. (2012). Nurse practitioners and medical homes: A natural fit. Medscape. Retrieved from http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/licensure/documents/MedicalHomes.pdf