Medical Home
A medical home is not a building, house, or hospital, but rather an approach to providing health care services in a high-quality and cost-effective manner. Individuals who have a medical home receive the care they need from a health care provider whom they know and trust. Individuals and their health care providers act as partners in a medical home to identify and access all the medical and nonmedical services needed to achieve maximum potential. A medical home should be accessible, family-centered, continuous, coordinated, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally competent.
Medical Home Components
- Accessible: care is personally, geographically, and financially accessible for
- Family Centered: families and providers share responsibility and information; they know and trust one another; families are involved in care coordination; and family expertise is acknowledged
- Continuous: providers are consistent, care is provided during wellness and illness, and providers assist with transitions
- Coordinated: coordination is established between families, providers, and Agencies
- Comprehensive: all aspects of well-being are considered and addressed
- Compassionate: providers respect, families, are supportive, recognize and assess the need for supportive services, and provide resource information
- Culturally Competent: family values and customs are considered and incorporated into care plans; translation or interpreter services are provided when needed; and written materials are provided in the family's primary language
Potential Benefits of a Medical Home
- Increased individual and provider satisfaction
- Increased wellness
- Improved coordination of care
- System easier to navigate
- Efficient use of limited resources
Medical Home definition adapted from American Academy of Pediatrics. Medical Home Developed through collaboration of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Special Health Care Needs, and the Missouri Partnership for Enhanced Delivery of Services, a program of the university of Missouri-Columbia funded by the Missouri Foundation for Health.