Children and Youth Have an Identified Health Care Home (Medical Home)

Abstract

Chapter Objectives1. Compare and contrast the potential signifi cant health outcomes for children with chronic or developmental conditions who have a designated health care (medical) home and for children who do not. 2.Analyze the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on the potential for every child to participate in a designated medical home. 3. Describe the potential role of the nurse in coordinating the health and wellness of children who participate in health care homes. 4. Understand the principles of coordinated and integrated care in transitioning a child from a pediatric to an adult health care home. 5. Analyze gaps in the literature and the strength of evaluation metrics, such as the medical home index (MHI), to design studies that would contribute to the scientifi c rigor and interpretation of the outcomes data related to patient outcomes and associated costs (i.e., return on investment) for patients participating in a health care home. INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDELINEThe guideline discussed in this chapter is that all children and youth should have an identifi ed health care home (medical home). Defi nitions of the term, history of the concept, and current research related to models of health care homes and their effect on pediatric health outcomes