Wow! They do care: A patient-centered medical home

Dr. Lester Hartman of Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics sent out an email message to the parents of his patients, as part of his new initiative to get to know his patients. He is trying to get to a four-star rating on knowledge of patients by the doctor, according to patient surveys conducted by Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP).

He asks the parents, "What is important for us to know about your child?". His staff then enter the answer into the electronic medical record, in a prominent yellow PostIt area on the computer screen.

If the parent has said the child is needle-phobic, the nurse will call the parent before the visit, asking whether to give the shot at the start or end of the visit. The parents say, "Wow! They do care!"

Read another story on a patient-centered medical home.