Provide names of other journalists involved.
Anne Glausser, Reporter/Producer David Molpus, Executive Editor
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Oct 28 2011
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
This story examines an emerging way to deliver primary care, called a “medical home.” This model is taking root in Cleveland and across the country, and it promises coordinated, preventive care for patients. A pilot “medical home” program in Cleveland shows promising year 1 results–patients had 35% fewer hospitalizations and about 7% fewer ER visits than similar patients not enrolled.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
The story required a synthesis of local and national efforts to test and improve the “medical home” model of care. This included a review of materials/data from foundations, local, state, and federal government, local and national professional groups, non-profits, and hospitals (such as: information from the Patient-Centered Medical Home Resource Center at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, study results from the Cleveland pilot program, materials on Medicaid options from the Kaiser Family Foundation, information from The Commonwealth Fund, publications from the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, publications/event from local health alliance Better Health Greater Cleveland, publications/event from the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio, and fact sheets from the Ohio Dept of Jobs and Family Services).
Explain types of human sources used.
The physician in charge of the local medical home pilot program was interviewed, along with a program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a national philanthropy that funds projects to improve healthcare in America (including medical home initiatives). A local patient was interviewed as well as his “care coordinator”–that is, the nurse who checks up on him and is a key component of the medical home. Other experts in the medical (and political) field were also consulted (such as local health leaders from Better Health Greater Cleveland, and the Director of Ohio’s Office of Healthcare Transformation, Greg Moody) but did not make it into the final piece.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No one has challenged the accuracy of this story and no corrections or clarifications have run.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Payment reform is at the heart of any transition to a new model of healthcare delivery. This is being actively debated right now, and it is an important conversation to keep an eye on. The future of the medical home model rests on whether it makes sense for the bottom line of doctors and hospitals. It will be interesting to suss out the differences between Accountable Care Organizations and medical homes, and how this all fits into the healthcare overhaul.