What is a Medical Home?
A Medical Home is a way to provide high-quality health care services that best meet the needs of your child and your family. It is not a building, house or hospital. It is a partnership between you and your family and your primary care doctor, nurse and staff. Together, we make sure that the healthcare needs of your child are met.
Your Medical Team:
- Shares information with you and includes you in decision making as partners in care
- Provides primary health care including regular check-ups, preventative services, and illness visits
- Works to catch problems early – which can prevent emergency room visits
- Helps you plan for and manage any chronic health problems
- Coordinates care with specialists and/or other organizations when needed
- Helps connect you to resources in the community
- Helps lower family stress, health care costs, and missed school and work days
Your Role in the Medical Home:
As partners in care, it is important that you keep your Medical Home informed of any factors that may influence your child’s health, such as:
- Appointments with other providers, such as specialists, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, etc.
- Updates to medications or allergies
- Recent tests/results
- Any changes to overall health status or medical history
Features of the Medical Home:
Principles of the Medical Home have been developed and well thought-out with the patient the center of care
- Patient-centered: A partnership among practitioners, patients and their families making sure that decisions respect patients’ wants, needs, and preferences, and that patients have the education and support they need to make decisions and participate in their own care.
- Comprehensive: A team of care providers is accountable for a patient’s physical and mental health care needs; including prevention and wellness, acute care, and chronic care.
- Coordinated: Care is organized across all elements including specialty care, hospitals, home health care, community services and supports.
- Accessible: Patients have access to services with shorter waiting times, “after hours” care, 24/7 electronic or telephone access.
- Committed to quality and safety: Doctors, ARNPs and staff members enhance quality improvement to ensure that patients and families make informed decisions about their health.
Important for the Patient:
- If you need to speak with a member of your child’s medical team call the office during office hours. For urgent medical questions after regular office hours call the office number to speak with the appropriate clinician. As always, for true emergencies, call 911.
- Our office hours and specific location phone numbers are listed on our website.
- The website also has links to reliable websites for accurate information, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and links for specific community resources.
- Learn more about the Medical Home at these links below: