Patients’ and Caregivers’ Experiences with the Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration

Background The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model aims to improve primary health care using a patient-centered approach. Little qualitative research has investigated how the PCMH model affects patient experience with care. Objective To understand Medicaid and Medicare patient and caregiver experiences with PCMHs participating in the Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Practice (MAPCP) Demonstration. Design Qualitative study. Participants Medicare, Medicaid, and dually eligible patients who were patients in primary care practices participating in the MAPCP Demonstration and caregivers of such patients ( N = 490). Approach From July through November 2014, a trained facilitator conducted 81 focus groups in the eight states participating in the MAPCP Demonstration. Separate groups were held for Medicare high-risk, Medicare low-risk, Medicaid, and dually eligible beneficiaries, their caregivers, and caregivers of Medicaid children (or, in Vermont, with patients participating in the Support and Services at Home program), in two different geographical areas in each state. Focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Results Participants’ experiences with care were generally consistent with the expectations of a PCMH, although some exceptions were noted. Medicaid only and dually eligible beneficiaries generally had less-positive experiences than Medicare beneficiaries. Most participants said their practices had not solicited feedback from them about their experiences with care. Few participants knew what the term “medical home” meant or were aware that their practices were working to become PCMHs, but many had noticed changes in recent years, primarily related to the conversion to electronic health records. Conclusions Most participants had positive experiences with their care. Opportunities exist, however, to improve care for Medicaid and dually eligible beneficiaries, and enhance patient awareness of and involvement in PCMH practice transformation.