June 29, 2007
'Medical Homes' Promote Equity in Care
The Commonwealth Fund is reporting how medical homes can reduce disparity in care.
From the executive summary:
When minorities have a medical home, racial and ethnic differences in terms of access to medical care disappear. Three-fourths of whites, African Americans, and Hispanics with medical homes reported getting the care they need when they need it.
From the full report (pdf):
The survey used the following four indicators to measure the extent to which adults have a medical home: 1) having a regular doctor or place of care, 2) experiencing no difficulty contacting their provider by telephone; 3) experiencing no difficulty getting care or medical advice on weekends or evenings; and 4) having doctors’ office visits that are well organized and running on time.
You can view a video of the report at the Kaiser Network. The topic of medical homes starts around the 6:20 mark.