Bellin’s Michigan Clinics Earn Medical Home Status

Blue Cross® Blue Shield® program recognizes coordinated care

The Bellin Health Family Medical Centers in Iron Mountain and Escanaba, Mich. have been selected as Patient-Centered Medical Home designated practices by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Through Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), primary care physicians lead care teams that work with patients to keep them healthy and monitor their care on an ongoing basis. PCMH teams coordinate patients’ healthcare across all locations to help patients meet their personal health goals. Care is based on each patient’s goals and often extends into non-clinical factors that may influence a person’s health status.

The Patient-Centered Medical Home model encourages and enables doctors and their care teams to manage their patients’ care continually, rather than simply provide care once patients are sick or injured, said Amy Dettman, vice president of Bellin Health’s Physician Division.

“The cooperation and coordination inherent in this model are beneficial for patients, their providers, and our health system as a whole,” Dettman said. “This approach allows us to be proactive — and often, to stop problems before they start.”

Recognized by awards from health and insurance organizations, the Blue Cross Patient-Centered Medical Home program has saved an estimated $512 million over six years through disease prevention, reduced hospitalizations and emergency room visits, and management of common and acute medical conditions that have improved patient care outcomes, according to Blue Cross. PCMH designation is determined annually.