New York State a Leader in Implementing Patient-Centered Medical Home, but Growth Slowing

NEW YORK, NEW YORK October 19, 2017— New York State is tied with California for first in the nation in implementing a high-performing, cost-saving health care delivery model known as the patient-centered medical home, in which all or most of a patient's health care needs are coordinated through a primary care physician. However, growth in the number of providers offering medical homes is starting to slow in New York, and small independent primary care practices have been much slower to adopt the model, according to a new report by United Hospital Fund.

The report is an update on the progress made in implementing medical homes statewide over the past year. UHF has been monitoring adoption of medical homes in New York based on the National Committee for Quality Assurance model since 2011, and in its latest report identifies several trends:

• The number of patient-centered medical home providers in New York continues to expand, but over the past two years growth slowed to an average of 8.5 percent a year from an average of 20 percent annually between 2011 and 2015.
• Initially New York City had more medical home providers than the rest of the state combined, but growth upstate and on Long Island now outpaces the city. This year the number of providers outside NYC is greater than the number in the city (3,856 vs 2,935).
• Large and medium-size health care organizations have been the main drivers of patient-centered medical home growth; adoption among small independent primary care providers continues to be much slower.
• As the U.S. moves from a fee-for-service model for health care reimbursements to a system that rewards value and quality of care, solutions must be developed for how best to measure and reward medical homes, and how to pay practices as they transition to this new model.

“New York's adoption of the model to date has been extraordinary, but it has varied greatly over time, across regions, and among provider types,” said report author Gregory Burke, director of UHF's innovation strategies initiative. “Its future growth and sustainability will depend on whether payers beyond Medicaid consistently recognize and support its added value, and its costs.”

The report, Patient-Centered Medical Homes in New York, 2017 Update: Continued Growth in a Time of Change, can be downloaded from UHF's website.

About United Hospital Fund

United Hospital Fund works to build a more effective health care system for every New Yorker. An independent, nonprofit organization, we analyze public policy to inform decision-makers, find common ground among diverse stakeholders, and develop and support innovative programs that improve the quality, accessibility, affordability, and experience of patient care. For more on our initiatives and programs please visit our website at www.uhfnyc.org and follow us on Twitter.

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