New Brief: Patient-centered medical homes are working in CT, but standards are at risk

Patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) are working well in CT. There is growing national and state evidence that certified PCMHs improve health care access and outcomes while controlling costs. PCMHs are a new way of delivering health care that uses a team of providers to coordinate care and help people keep themselves healthy. CT’s Medicaid program has significantly benefitted by adopting certified PCMHs attracting more providers to the program just as the program expands. Growing every month in CT, PCMHs are the foundation of thoughtful payment reform – paying for value rather than volume. But it is critical to maintain standards and accountability, ensuring that PCMHs are doing what they are paid to do. National PCMH certification standards like NCQA, the gold standard, work – ensuring we get value for our spending. Unfortunately nationally recognized PCMH standards are at risk in CT. The SIM process, and now DSS Medicaid regulation language, have proposed eroding those important standards, that are working so well for consumer and payers. A new brief by the CT Health Policy Project outlines the value of PCMHs and what is at risk for CT.