Louisiana Health Secretary Promotes Medical Home At Federal And State Levels

AHIP HI-WIRE
May 26, 2009

Emphasizing the medical home model as a key part of fixing the U.S. healthcare system, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine testified before Congress in March calling for "systemic reform." Levine, who has served two states as health secretary and operated public and private hospitals and health systems, is also driving changes to his home state's healthcare system via an initiative called Louisiana Health First, which also emphasizes medical home.

"Coordinated care through an accountable medical home" will be a chief result of "the right reforms" to improve prevention, manage chronic illnesses, and reduce fraud and waste, Levine testified. Increased transparency; aligned financial incentives among purchasers, providers, and patients; and consumer choice in health plans, benefits, and providers will also be characteristics of the reformed system.

Levine's opinions concerning U.S. healthcare reform are informed by the Louisiana Health First initiative. The effort to establish medical homes for patients in the New Orleans area alone now boasts 37 clinics that have earned the recognition of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), according to a local press report.

"The core of Louisiana Health First is that everyone in Medicaid will eventually have access to a patient-centered medical home that's certified as a medical home by the NCQA," Levine said in the report.

• Expanding health insurance coverage in the state
• Offering Medicaid recipients choices on coverage and benefits
• Reducing fraud and system abuse
• Ensuring that providers are more involved in patient care
• Making the new charity hospital a competitive academic institution
• Increasing transparency in the Medicaid system by making performance measures available on the Internet