As health professionals, you know
having a good primary care doctor is like a long term friend - someone you can build a relationship with over the years, who knows you and cares about your health.
Much as we try to stay healthy, as we get older, our health gets more complex (I can speak from experience here). It seems like the health industry is also getting more complicated. We have to remember when we are due for tests, where to go, how to make an appointment, what prescriptions we need, and if our insurance will pay. It might also be hard to get in to see your doctor when you need.
One way to improve health care is a new model called the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). You may have heard this term, but I've found that many colleagues and most of my clients have no idea what it means. We're implementing the PCMH model at Cambridge Health Alliance and find it really effective for our older adult patients.
So I wanted to use this month to take the mystery out of the PCMH. Hopefully, this information will be helpful to you and will also help you explain this new model to your patients/clients and their family members.
Be Well,
Roberta