First Name:
Elizabeth
Last Name:
Cherveny
Major Department:
Exercise Science, Pre-Professional
Thesis Director:
Susan Roggenkamp
Date of Thesis:
Dec 2011
Method: Case studies and journals were reviewed in order to analyze the problems of access, quality and cost and specific PCMH successes and failures.
Background: It is no secret that the United States’ health care system failsmillions of Americans every year in terms of accessibility, quality and affordability. The nebulous roots of the problems have been the major topic in political debates and policy reformation in the past decade, yet little tangible progress has been made. Primary care has been undervalued as a potential building block for a new and improved health care system. The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model was developed first in 1967 by the American Academy of Pediatrics and has been reformed over the past decade to its present form. The model not only seeks to increase quality and accessibility to patients while controlling costs, but also attempts to assign primary care its appropriate value by reforming reimbursement policies.
Research Question: How did the problems involving access, quality and cost in the United States Healthcare System develop and how are they affecting the health care system today? Is the Patient-Centered Medical Home model an appropriate solution to the problems of access, quality and cost present in the United States’ Health Care System?