With PCMH, Group Health found that the patients' experience was rated higher on 6 out of 7 indicators without an increase in costs. "For staff burnout, 10% of PCMH staff reported high emotional exhaustion at 12 months compared with 30% of controls, despite similar rates at baseline. PCMH patients also had gains in composite quality between 1.2% and 1.6% greater than those of other patients. PCMH patients used more e-mail, phone, and specialist visits, but fewer emergency services. At 12 months, there were no significant differences in overall costs."

The implementation of the Patient-Centered Medical Home was organized around the relationship between the primary care physician and the patient. The primary care physician leads the clinical team and coordinates the planning of care with the patient. "Maximum use of technology" facilitates patient access.
Group Health implemented changes related to the structure of the care teams, point-of-care, patient outreach and management. Changes included "the use of team huddles, previsit outreach and chart review, and use of patient-centered quality deficiency reports. The PCMH clinic emphasized both e-mail and telephone encounters (as an alternative or complement to in-person visits), depending on patient abilities and preferences."

As a result of its success, Group Health is expanding its Patient-Centered Medical Home program to all of its centers.
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