The term “medical homes” remains a source of confusion among those the model designed to help: Medicaid recipients.
Medicaid enrollees — according to focus group testing conducted by Connecticut’s Department of Social Services — are either unfamiliar with the concept of medical homes or assume the term refers to nursing homes or other types of institutional care, The Connecticut Mirror reported.
The implications go beyond the state: Medical homes are a concept in the Affordable Care Act designed to more efficiently manage costs for Medicaid by coordinating care among healthcare providers. Medical homes do not refer to any particular location, but rather a model of care.
Consultants who worked with Connecticut’s DSS suggested that the department focus marketing efforts on dispelling confusion about medical homes to maximize compliance and enrollment, the newspaper reported.
