A handful of health care agencies, including the largest private health insurance company in South Carolina and the state Medicaid program, announced a new partnership Monday to improve the way primary care is delivered.
The alliance will encourage primary care practices across the state to become "patient-centered medical homes." While most patients don't know - or probably care - what that means, the advantages of the program are worth noting. For example, patients enrolled in a medical home may find it easier to schedule same-day appointments or speak with a nurse over the phone for medical advice.
More than 100 primary care practices in the state are already recognized as patient-centered medical homes. Most of them are certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, the largest private insurer in the state, wants at least 300 practices to participate.
The program isn't mandatory, but it is labor intensive. The process takes many months for each practice to complete and requires primary care providers to shift the way they do business - pushing doctors, nurses and staff to set goals, to focus more on keeping patients healthy and managing chronic conditions and less on treating episodic illness.
"It takes a lot of effort on the physicians' part and the practices' part," said Dr. Laura Long, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's chief medical officer. "They are really retooling how they work together."