The general public is now getting a sampling of the "medical home" concept thanks to an article written in the USA Today by Julie Appleby. In it she explains how family doctors may get paid more for overseeing patients care via screenings, hospitalizations and referrals. The concept is not new, hence the title of the piece, but the idea of paying us primary care physicians more is refreshing. By creating patient care "teams," which could include nurse practitioners, nutritionists or other medical staff, these medical homes would offer longer office hours, electronic medical records and same-day appointments. Unfortunately, all these changes to make the government and insurance companies happy probably won't save that much money. It may improve service and quality but that isn't what they are looking for, now is it? It really doesn't amount to much more cash in our pockets either. The saddest part of the article was the family doctor quoted at the end who says, "This is our last, best hope to save primary care." Why is it that we think that every new "dog and pony" show to make the insurers happy is the only chance of surviving? Seems to me that we will be always chasing our tail because that dog will never hunt. Geez, can I use any more ridiculous canine metaphors?
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