It’s a Lovely Day in the (Medical) Neighborhood

Just when the majority of the primary care community gets familiar with the Patient Centered Medical Home/PCMH terminology, a new term moves in next door.  The Patient Centered Medical Home “Neighborhood” entered the primary care vernacular in 2011 but is sure to increase in usage and understanding in 2012. So just who are these neighbors? Simply, they are specialists who are neighbors to the primary care home.  Examples of neighborhood specialists who could serve the medical home include oncologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, cardiologists, neurologists and gastroenterologists. With the primary care physician handling coordinated care in the medical home model, it makes sense that specialists who serve patients with chronic and often complex illnesses be welcomed into the neighborhood of care.  Stay tuned while the financial structure of PCMH neighborhood physicians takes shape.  

What do you have to say about the medical neighborhood?  PTI wants to hear about it.