The patient-centred medical home in the USA.

RATIONALE: The Patient-Centred Medical Home (PCMH) is a new model of health care delivery in the USA at the primary care level that emphasizes integrated and coordinated care around the patients' needs and desires. The PCMH emphasizes a practice-wide team approach to provide high quality, accessible and cost-effective health care for acute, chronic and prevention-oriented problems.
METHOD: This article is a descriptive overview of the PCMH in the USA.
RESULTS: The data on the PCMH have shown decreased mortality, morbidity and increased patient and physician satisfaction with care. Additionally, quality of care and patient access have improved. There has been decreased emergency room utilization, decreased hospitalization and decreased cost per patient.
CONCLUSION: The PCMH in the USA has been an outstanding transformative model change to re-centre health care back to cost-effective, quality, accessible primary care.