Patient-Centered Medical Home can improve diabetes care

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model backed by multipayer support can improve diabetes care, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey.

The study, which used data from May 2008 to May 2009, examined 143 primary care providers in 25 practices located in Southeast Pennsylvania. The practices were participating in a regional collaborative initiative to test the effect of the PCMH model on diabetes care. Each of the practices had 100 to 500 individuals with diabetes among their patients. By the end of the year, 12 of the practices had achieved some level of National Committee for Quality Assurance medical home recognition.

"There was significant improvement in the percentage of patients who had evidence-based complications screening and who were on therapies to reduce morbidity and mortality," the researchers wrote.