Continuum of Care: Analysis of Patient-Centered Medical Homes

This report provides an overview of the continuum of care, emphasizing the importance of maintaining continuity in healthcare settings, particularly for patients with complex medical needs or chronic diseases. It examines the evolution of Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs), starting with their origins in 1967 and subsequent adoption by the Family Medicine specialty in 2002, driven by increasing healthcare costs and related stressors. The report highlights the primary role of PCMHs in coordinating medical healthcare activities, emphasizing their focus on patient care plans and overall healthcare coordination. The report further explores the role of PCMHs in coordinating patient care and improving patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Continuum of Care
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Contents
1. Why is continuum of care important? Provide various reasons...............................................3
2. Since when did Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs) evolve?.....................................3
3. What is the role of PCMHs in the current healthcare system?.................................................3
References........................................................................................................................................4
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1. Why is continuum of care important? Provide various reasons.
The continuum of care refers to the process of maintaining the continuity of medical care that is
delivered to patients especially at the points when a patient switches between the care institutions
and caregivers. Ensuring a continuum of care in a healthcare setting is important for the patients,
who are more dependent on the health care services such as the elderly people along with
patients who are facing some complex medical issue such as the mental illness and other chronic
diseases. It is important to maintain a continuum of care so as to improve the satisfaction level of
patients along with reducing the overall cost of the healthcare organization and improving the
patient’s health (Ministry of Health, 2018; Cleveland Clinic, 2012).
2. Since when did Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs) evolve?
The concept of PCMH (Patient-Centered Medical Homes) was firstly introduced in 1967 by the
American Academy of Pediatrics and it was adopted later by the Family Medicine specialty in
the year 2002. This was done as a part of a project known as “Future of Family Medicine”.
PCMH further became popular with the increasing number of stressors related to healthcare and
increase in healthcare cost. Thereafter, the principles associated with PCMH were established by
the organizations including - the American Academy of Family Physicians along with the
American Osteopathic Association (Hudak, et al., 2013; Cleveland Clinic, 2012).
3. What is the role of PCMHs in the current healthcare system?
The major role of PCMH is to coordinate the medical healthcare activities. PCMH focuses on
coordinating the healthcare for the patients and with the patients along with developing the
appropriate care plans for the patients involved (Meyers, et al., 2010).
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References
Cleveland Clinic. (2012). Patient-Centered Medical Home - Continuum of Care. Retrieved from
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7dZFuyJjUs
Hudak, R. P., Julian, R., Kugler, J., Dorrance, K., Ramchandani, S., Lynch, S., & Reeves, M.
(2013). The patient-centered medical home: a case study in transforming the military
health system. Military medicine, 178(2), 146-152.
Meyers, D., Peikes, D., Genevro, J., Peterson, G., Taylor, E. F., Lake, T., & Grumbach, K.
(2010). The Roles of Patient-Centered Medical Homes And Accountable Care
Organizations in Coordinating Patient Care. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality Publication.
Ministry of Health. (2018). Ensuring Continum of Care. Retrieved from Health.gov.il:
https://www.health.gov.il/English/Topics/Quality_Assurance/Patient_Safety/Pages/
continuity.aspx
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