CONCORD, NH—The New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative and the Center for Medical Home Improvement announced today the NH Multi-Stakeholder Medical Home Pilot Project, to advance the development of patient-centered medical homes in New Hampshire. This pilot is being launched in cooperation with both private carriers in the State and NH Medicaid. The application, for interested adult primary care practices, can be downloaded at www.steppingupnh.org.

The patient-centered medical home concept re-centers health care on the patient's needs and priorities by providing primary, preventive, and chronic condition care that is personalized for each patient. It emphasizes the use of care coordination and health information technology, including electronic health records, to help prevent and manage chronic disease. It also features consumer conveniences such as same-day scheduling and secure e-mail communications. The medical home strengthens the patient-physician relationship by allowing the doctor and team of health professionals to spend more time with each patient and to develop and follow through on an individualized plan of care.

A practice recognized as a patient-centered medical home would receive compensation for the time and work physicians and their staff spend to provide comprehensive and coordinated services. This approach is distinctly different from the current system which pays for procedures and treatment of individual diseases rather than valuing and encouraging treatment of the whole patient, preventing chronic illness, and managing multiple, interrelated and ongoing health problems.

Medical homes have been shown to improve health outcomes, reduce costs and improve patient, family, physician and staff satisfaction. The Joint Principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home have been endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Physicians (ACP), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), more than a dozen specialty health care organizations, as well as employers such as IBM, Microsoft, GE, Dow Chemical, Johnson & Johnson and Wal-Mart (download at www.pcpcc.net).

"Our current system of care disproportionately values specialization and lacks the coordination crucial for the early identification and management of chronic disease", said Dr. Richard Lafleur, MD, Medical Director for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in New Hampshire . "We recognize primary care as the most effective and efficient setting. We are pleased to participate in the NH pilot as Medical Homes elevate the practice of primary care and have the potential to provide our members with higher quality care and better outcomes."

"Participation inthe New Hampshire Multi-StakeholderMedical Home project will give New Hampshire physicians an opportunity to shape the future of this crucial piece of health system reform while enhancing professional satisfaction and the delivery of care to our patients." Stated Gary Sobelson, MD, a family physician with Concord Family Medicine and former president of the NH Medical Society and NH Academy of Family Physicians.

"As one of a handful of multi-stakeholder pilots in the country, New Hampshire is at the fore in transforming medical care and reforming the payment system." Stated Paul Spiess, Co-Chair, NHCHI. "This project is an important collaboration between the private and public sectors, employers, insurance carriers and the clinical community and provides us with an opportunity to improve health outcomes, while also delivering efficient, patient-centered care."

"The Center for Medical Home Improvement (CMHI) has worked with Pediatric and Family Medicine to improve the quality of care in the Medical Home for children, particularly those with special health care needs, This new adult pilot opportunity is significant in that stakeholders declare the medical home as the standard for primary care in the 21^st Century. Tapping primary care strengths while sharing changes needed to transform health care will provide lessons for improvement beneficial to all stakeholders, particularly health professionals, patients, and their families." Jeannie McAllister, Director, CMHI.

The NH Citizens Health Initiative seeks to create a system of care that promotes health, where quality is assured and care is accessible, affordable, effective, and safe. For further information visit www.steppingupnh.org or contact Heather Staples, Consultant, NH Citizens Health Initiative at 491-2701.

The mission of the Center for Medical Home Improvement (CMHI), Crotched Mountain Foundation, is to promote high quality primary care in the Medical Home and secure health policy changes critical to the future of primary care. For further information contact Jeanne W. McAllister, BSN, MS, MHA, Director, or W. Carl Cooley, MD, Medical Director, The Center for Medical Home Improvement (www.medicalhomeimprovement.org) at 228-8111.

(END)