Measuring and rewarding what matters - Rich Keller from Treo Solutions describes the value of the patient voice

There was a good article in the May 2010 issues of Health Affairs written by Christine Bechtel and Debra Ness from the National Partnership for Women and Families. They commissioned a number of focus groups to assess patients' thoughts on what was most important when considering how care was delivered. The elements they reference are ones that fundamentally define a medical home. They were able to classify the attributes of care that patients seek into 4 categories:

1. Whole person care. Treat the person – not the parts. This means understanding things about the patient that can't be described using an ICD 9 code; e.g. life situation, home environment, personal preferences.
2. Coordination and communication. Patients and care givers want someone to coordinate their care and coach them through the system. Basically, patients want a general contractor responsible for overseeing all aspects of their health.
3. Patient support and empowerment. Patients want to feel aligned and in partnership with their physician. They want to be part of the decision making process.
4. Ready access. This is just basic customer service. Short wait times, email access, appointment availability, etc.

Link to the full blog post here.