PCPCC to Issue Briefs on Patient-Centered Medical Home - PATIENT

Terri Bernacchi, PharmD, MBA
Health Advisory Professionals

A coalition of more than 700 major employers, consumer groups, organizations representing primary care physicians, and other stakeholders who have joined to advance the patient centered medical home, the group promoting the use of the Patient-Centered Medical Home, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) issued a press release in advance of two briefs it is expected to issue on October 21, 2010.  

• The first brief centers on the issue of Clinical Decision Making, offering a guide that defines clinical decision support and describes its role for enhancing quality and lowering costs in a patient-centered medical home. It also helps the physician’s office understand the requirements of “meaningful use” in order to garner stimulus dollars for paying for the technology.

• The second brief covers the unfolding IT aspect of the Medical Home. This brief provides a compendium of articles, case examples and tools for providers across the health care continuum to engage patients in their own care.

To get a copy of the briefs and to read the press release, follow this URL: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/use-of-health-it-to-engage-patients-support-clinical-decision-making-topics-of-new-resources-from-patient-centered-primary-care-collaborative-104944154.html

The Medical Home concept is one that puts the use of resources and decisions based upon a patient-centered set of circumstances...including clinical, financial, social, practical and quality elements. It is sometimes defined as "an approach to providing comprehensive primary care”. The “Medical Home” facilitates partnerships between individual patients, and their personal professional Providers, and when appropriate, the patient’s family. (For more information on the patient centered medical home and a complete list of the PCPCC members, please visit http://www.pcpcc.net/  )



In so many ways, the Medical Home concept embraces the “empowered patient” concept, where the choices and ultimately, a good deal of the responsibility, for health maximization rest rightfully on the shoulders of the patient. The health professions are there to facilitate and support the efforts of the patient.

Terri currently works for a large health sciences firm serving payers, pharmaceutical and device manufacturers and other stakeholders in health care as a Senior Principal in Managed Markets.  The thoughts put forth on these postings are not necessarily reflective of the views of her employer nor other Health Thought Leader colleagues.   Terri has had a varied career in health related settings including:  9 years in a clinical hospital pharmacy setting, 3 years as a pharmaceutical sales rep serving government, wholesaler, managed markets and traditional physician sales, 3 years working for the executive team of an integrated health system working with physician practices, 4 years as the director of pharmacy for a large BCBS plan, 12 years experience as founder and primary servant of a health technology company which was sold to her current employer three years ago.   She has both a BS and a PharmD in Pharmacy and an MBA.