CT medical home Medicare application in

The Office of State Comptroller has taken the lead in filing an application for CT to participate in a new Medicare option. The project would join the state employee plan, Medicaid, Medicare and private insurers in an exciting plan to build patient-centered medical homes for over a million state residents eventually. The Governor, DSS, the SustiNet PCMH Advisory Committee and dozens of consumer and provider groups have all signed on to support the application. The plan is to start with ProHealth, a large primary care practice with 74 sites across CT, but to reach out to other accredited PCMH providers soon after. Beyond the core PCMH functions, the project includes special focus on discharge transitions, expanding primary care for nursing home residents, extended hour facilities, and care coordination for patients with multiple chronic conditions. CT has also agreed to collaborate with a new multi-state PCMH collaborative sharing data, evaluations, technical assistance, and best practices. There is so much here to be excited about, but the best part may be the cooperation across agencies and provider groups. This project can serve as a foundation for thoughtful reform in Connecticut.
Ellen Andrews