Horizon medical home project cuts readmissions by 25%

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Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey's patient-centered medical home (PCMH) project has been "effective" at increasing quality and lowering costs.

Horizon's subsidiary, Horizon Healthcare Innovations (HHI), developed the PCMH Program last year with 63 primary care physicians and 24,000 members. The PCMH reimburses doctors for improving their patients' health rather than for performing tests and services, reported Asbury Park Press.

In the PCMH pilot's first-year results are a 10 percent decline in the cost of care per member, a 26 percent decline in emergency room visits and a 25 percent decrease in hospital readmissions, according to the HHI PCMH results.

"We see great promise in the PCMH and think it is the right model to transform and revitalize primary care," HHI President Richard Popiel previously told FierceHealthPayer. "We are seeing some great success stories as these practices engage the patients and are able to connect them to social services, address addiction challenges and help with transitions in care to avoid readmissions."

What's more, many doctors participating in HHI's PCMH have lauded the program. For example, primary care doctor Joseph Schauer said that participating in the PCMH program provides him with a financial incentive to prevent illnesses. "I would say never before in my 28 years in practice have ... insurance companies and primary care physicians been more aligned," he told Asbury Park Press.

To learn more:
- read the Asbury Park Press article
- see the HHI PCMH results

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