Between 2002 and 2016, the Pennsylvania Medical Home Program (PA MHP) trained over 150 diverse pediatric and adult practice teams in medical home principles. Practice teams represent diverse settings (hospital-based practices, private practices, and community-based health centers) and geographic locations (34% urban, 32% suburban, 34% rural). Since 2002, the PA MHP has served approximately 491,000 children, including 83,470 children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN).
Practice teams implemented medical home principles through the following activities:
- Created and maintained patient registries
- Created and updated care plans
- Held team meetings
- Facilitated meetings with community partners
- Recruited and engaged parent partners
- Participated in quality improvement activities, including data collection
- Attended PA MHP conferences and webinars
- Designated specific scope of duties for a care coordinator in practice; participated in care coordination activities
Since 2008 the PA MHP Family Survey has been used to collect data from 3,390 families of CYSHCN about their experiences and interactions with participating practice teams. Results indicate the following:
- Over 77% of parents believed that care coordination services were "always or usually helpful."
- Over 75% of parents believed the healthcare their child received was excellent or above average.
A 2014 study examining a subset of 20 pediatric practice teams participating in the PA MHP and caring for a total of 967 children and young adults with asthma. The study demonstrates that as a result of 9,240 care coordination encounters over 100 days for 967 children and youth with asthma:
- 54 hospitalizations were prevented
- 281 emergency department visits were prevented
- 122 school absences were prevented
- 38 fewer parental work days were missed
Finally, data from the 2009/2010 National Survey of Children with Special Needs demonstrate that between 2007 and 2010, families living in Pennsylvania reported increases in receiving family-centered care, culturally effective care, and a decrease of problems obtaining necessary referrals as needed.