The medical home: an idea whose time has come ... again.

Family physicians have always known the value of a medical home, even when there was no term to describe it. Now, 60 years after the AAFP was founded, others are recognizing that medical homes may be the key to getting better value from the U.S. health care system. In recent months, a wide range of stakeholders including legislators, large employers, patient groups and organized medicine have begun championing medical homes as the centerpiece of a primarycare based approach to health care reform. The medical home that these plans envision is both old-fashioned and thoroughly modern – a blend of the personalized, comprehensive care that family physicians have been offering for decades and coordinated care that capitalizes on new technology and helps patients make sense of the increasingly complex health care system. Whether the concept takes root may depend on two key issues: whether payers can be convinced of the value of medical homes (and the need to pay more for them) and whether physicians can deliver what the medical home promises. This article describes progress in both areas. A future article will offer suggestions for physicians interested in further developing their practices’ medical home characteristics.