Home Health Care Issues

Blue Cross Designates 1,200 Physicians as Medical Home Providers

July 14, 2009 - MSMS congratulates the 1,200 primary care physicians (and their respective physician organizations) across the state who were designated by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as patient-centered medical home providers. These physicians now are eligible for 10 percent add-on payments for several office visit billing codes.

The list of physicians can be found on the Blue Cross website at www.bcbsm.com under the "Find Doctor” tab.

Under the medical home care model, physicians help guide patients through the health care delivery system using a variety of services and technologies, including patient disease registries and electronic prescribing.

"This is the culmination of five years of foundational work between the Michigan Blues and its physician partners," said BCBSM CEO Daniel J. Loepp.

"This patient-centered medical home initiative underscores all that we have accomplished together and our shared aspirations for health care in Michigan. It is about strengthening primary care, improving delivery of care and ultimately creating medical outcomes that benefit all Michigan residents," he said.

Blue Cross said nearly 2 million people in Michigan may find themselves cared for by a medical home provider.

"Patients who go to patient-centered medical home practices will receive a holistic and comprehensive approach to their care," said Thomas Simmer, MD, Blue Cross's chief medical officer.

For more information about the MSMS Patient Centered Medical Home Principles, visit www.msms.org/quality or www.msms.org/pcmh. For additional information, contact Stacie Saylor at MSMS at 517-336-5722 or ssaylor@msms.org.