Health Plan of Michigan Announces New Health Care Incentive: Improving Quality, Supporting Physicians

DETROIT, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Plan of Michigan is proud to announce its new Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Incentive Program. This program encourages providers to become PCMH by providing financial assistance during the practice certification phase. It also rewards providers who have already received PCMH designation.

The concept of a Patient Centered Medical Home is an approach to providing comprehensive primary care which improves access to health care, increases patient satisfaction and improves health outcomes.  

The new program is available to all contracted HPM primary care physicians who are open to and accepting new HPM members, and have a current HPM membership of 100 or greater. The incentives are based on HEDIS® quality scores; reimbursements will increase as quality increases. Reimbursements include payments above the current Medicaid fee schedule and the HPM HEDIS Bonus Program. An additional per member-per month payment is also available for participating providers.

"We are very excited about this new Patient Centered Medical Home program," said Sean Kendall, Director of Network Development for Health Plan of Michigan. "This is a great opportunity for us to support providers who want to become PCMH certified, and an equally good way for us to provide continued incentives to our providers who have already made the move to PCMH."

Health Plan of Michigan is the state's largest managed Medicaid program, with over 285,000 members. The HPM network consists of more than 3,300 PCPs, 8,200 Specialists and 98 hospitals in 64 Michigan counties.

PCMH - BACKGROUND

In February 2007, The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)  developed these Joint Principles of the Patient Centered Medical Home:

Personal physician - Each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician

Physician directed medical practice – The personal physician leads a team of individuals responsible for ongoing patient care

Whole person orientation – The personal physician is responsible for providing for all the patient's health care needs or for appropriately arranging care with other qualified professionals.

Care is coordinated and/or integrated across all elements of the complex health care system and the patient's community.

Quality and safety are hallmarks of the medical home.

(Adapted from www.pcpcc.net/content/joint-principles-patient-centered-medical-home)

SOURCE Health Plan of Michigan