Ohio to create medical home training program
The Ohio General Assembly has passed legislation to establish the Patient Centered Medical Home Education Pilot Project, under which 44 primary care practices will be designated as training centers for patient-centered medical homes. The Ohio House and Senate unanimously passed the bill, which is expected to be signed by Gov. Ted Strickland.
Patient-centered medical homes combine a team approach to patient care with a range of health IT, including patient monitoring, EHRs, health information exchanges, clinical decision support tools and e-prescribing. The care team is led by a primary care physician who coordinates patients’ preventive, chronic and acute care, according to information posted on the Ohio General Assembly website.
The pilot project will be implemented and administered by the patient centered medical home education advisory group, which will choose 40 primary care practices run by physicians and four practices run by nurse practitioners to serve as training centers for medical homes.
According to the website, members of the advisory group will include:
Advisory group members will serve at the pleasure of their appointing authorities. Appointed members will serve three-year terms, unless the pilot project ceases operation during the member's term.
To be eligible for inclusion in the pilot project, a physician practice must meet requirements including:
Requirements for eligibility for nurse primary care practice include:
Sites that are selected for the project will be reimbursed for up to 75 percent of costs related to implementing the health IT necessary for a medical home practice, according to the website, and the advisory group will also work with Ohio’s medical and nursing schools to develop training plans.
Patient-centered medical homes combine a team approach to patient care with a range of health IT, including patient monitoring, EHRs, health information exchanges, clinical decision support tools and e-prescribing. The care team is led by a primary care physician who coordinates patients’ preventive, chronic and acute care, according to information posted on the Ohio General Assembly website.
The pilot project will be implemented and administered by the patient centered medical home education advisory group, which will choose 40 primary care practices run by physicians and four practices run by nurse practitioners to serve as training centers for medical homes.
According to the website, members of the advisory group will include:
- Individuals with expertise in training and educating primary care physicians, to be appointed by the deans of the University of Toledo College of Medicine, the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the president and dean of the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy;
- Two individuals appointed by the governing board of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians;
- An individual appointed by the governing board of the Ohio chapter of the American College of Physicians;
- An individual with expertise in training and educating advanced practice nurses, to be appointed by the governing board of the Ohio Council of Deans and Directors of baccalaureate and higher degree programs in nursing; and
- An individual appointed by the governing board of the Ohio Nurses Association.
Advisory group members will serve at the pleasure of their appointing authorities. Appointed members will serve three-year terms, unless the pilot project ceases operation during the member's term.
To be eligible for inclusion in the pilot project, a physician practice must meet requirements including:
- Board certification in family medicine, general pediatrics or internal medicine; and
- The ability to adapt the practice to be fully compliant with the minimum standards for operation of a patient centered medical home, as established by the advisory group;
Requirements for eligibility for nurse primary care practice include:
- Board certification as a family nurse practitioner, adult nurse practitioner, geriatric nurse practitioner, women's health nurse practitioner or pediatric nurse practitioner;
- Collaboration agreement with a board-certified physician who is an active participant on the healthcare team; and
- Ability to adapt the practice to be fully compliant with the minimum standards for operation of a patient centered medical home, as established by the advisory group;
Sites that are selected for the project will be reimbursed for up to 75 percent of costs related to implementing the health IT necessary for a medical home practice, according to the website, and the advisory group will also work with Ohio’s medical and nursing schools to develop training plans.