News and briefs: Buffalo PCPs and insurer create medical home, hope to attract more physicians

Independent Health, a New York-based health insurance company, and 140 primary care physicians (PCP) in western New York recently formed a patient-centered medical home, Primary Connection, with the hope of improving quality and cost for patients and workload and salaries for PCPs.

"Part of what we're trying to do with the Primary Connection is figure out how to take care of more patients more efficiently," says Dr. Irene S. Snow, medical director of the Buffalo Medical Group, in an article in The Buffalo News.

Unless they are in need of emergent care, patients reach out to their PCP first with medical issues. The aforementioned article cites research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that found that in 2010, of the 624,434 physicians in the United States who spent the majority of their time in direct patient care, 209,000 practiced primary care. Along with an overall physician shortage, fewer medical school graduates now chose primary care, instead opting for a specialty in which they can make more money.

Patient-centered medical homes put a greater emphasis on coordination of care and teamwork, and take some of the pressure off of PCPs by incorporating nurse practitioners and physician assistants. 

Physicians who sign on to Primary Connection must meet certain expectations, such as:

• Improve communication with specialists and hospitals
• Use nurses to coordinate services
• Share nutritionists and social workers
• Measure the cost and outcomes of care
• Base some pay on meeting quality targets
• Reimburse PCPs for work such as returning patients’ phone calls and emails

In exchange, the insurer, Independent Health, will sell a new health plan linked to Primary Connection, and anticipates savings that will be passed on to its physician and plan members.