Prioritize primary care this open enrollment season

This open enrollment season, patients will be considering their health care coverage for the coming year. To ensure they are fully utilizing their primary care benefits and building relationships with health care teams that will keep them healthy, we need to encourage them to connect with a primary care practice or medical home. A medical home is a place where a patient can seek treatment from primary care physicians and other professionals, and coordinate any needed care with sub-specialists and hospitals. It should always be the first stop — and in many cases a one-stop shop — for medical care. The primary care practice serves as a home base for medical care. It also helps patients navigate the health care system and access services in the broader medical neighborhood. In medical homes, primary care teams consist of health care professionals who work collaboratively as “partners in care.” These teams treat traditional acute and chronic needs, but also offer behavioral and mental health services, as well as health promotion support. For example, a patient struggling with his weight would not only see a primary care physician, but could also connect with a dietician who can spend more time reviewing dietary needs and weight loss options. The teams work together toward a common goal: treating patients when they’re sick and keeping them healthy at all other times. Together, medical home staff coordinate care and support patients’ health priorities. Continue...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Primary Care Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs