The Cost of Patient-Centeredness

Higher patient-centered medical home ratings were associated with higher operating costs per physician and per patient.

Creation of patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) dominates conversations about healthcare reform and the role of primary care in improving quality, but the cost to create a PCMH is unknown. U.S. researchers surveyed all 1009 federally funded community health centers and received usable data from 669 centers (66%), which represented nearly 6000 full-time equivalent (FTE) primary care physicians and 12.5 million patients.

Based on a validated scale of PCMH rating (range, 0–100), the mean score was 60 (range, 21–90). The mean operating cost per FTE physician was about US$1.5 million; a 10-point increase in PCMH score was associated with an increased operating cost per physician of about $28,000. Subscales for patient tracking and quality impr…

Reviewing Author

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

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Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

Disclosures

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