CLOSING THE DIVIDE: MEDICAL HOMES AND DISPARITIES
Combining insurance coverage with “medical homes” can help states reduce or even eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care, according to a new study from the Commonwealth Fund.
The study defines a medical home as a health-care setting that offers patients a regular source of care, enhanced access to physicians, and timely, well-organized care. A growing number of states have been moving to ensure that Medicaid and SCHIP enrollees have medical homes.
The survey of 3,434 adults age 18 and older found that:
- the vast majority of adults with a medical home reported that they always get the care they need, regardless of race;
- differences in preventive care and management of chronic conditions are either reduced or eliminated among those with a medical home;
- when minority patients have medical homes, they are just as likely as whites to receive patient-care reminders, which improve the quality of care; and
- community health centers and other public clinics—which care for 20 percent of the uninsured and 20 percent of low-income adults—are less likely than private doctors’ offices to provide medical homes.
The researchers suggest that policymakers publicly report which providers meet the standards of a medical home; recognize and reward high-performing medical homes; and work to transform all primary-care providers, including safety net providers, into medical homes.
© Copyright 2007, State Health Notes
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