The PA Medical Home Initiative (PA MHI) is a project of the PA Department of Health in partnership with the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics designed to improve care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN).
PEAL partners with the Medical Home Initiative to educate families about the benefits of Medical Home concepts and to support families in promoting the adoption of Medical Home concepts in their pediatric practices.
Medical Home practices form partnerships with parents of patients who have special health care needs to bring the family voice to the professionals, resulting in a pediatrics practice that:
- – Encourages communication and respect between families and practice staff
- – Respects a family’s cultural, religious, and personal preferences for treatment
- – Recognizes families as the center of strength and support for their children
- – Helps the family plan for their child’s care, including transition to adult care
- – Connects families with community resources that benefit them
What is a Medical Home?
PA Medical Home Initiative Overview
The medical home is the organizational setting that integrates preventative services, acute illness management, and chronic condition management. An effective medical home seeks to identify the broad spectrum of a child and family’s needs at a given point in time. Watch the video below for more details.
Care Coordination, An Important Part of the PA Medical Home Initiative
Monica Kondrad visits King Walton’s home along with Glen Miller from Interphase Medical to assess King’s room for a new bed and go over some safety basics with King’s mom, Chee Chee. The PA Medical Home Initiative provides Care Coordinators like Monica to help families like King’s.
Cultural Competency, Understanding Your Families Needs
A Medical Home is a place to served the needs of families. It is designed to look at the patient in the whole context of the environment that they are in.
Fostering Partnerships with Patients and their Families
A Medical Home fosters partnerships with patients and their families in a trusting, compassionate, and respectful manner. Family and patient involvement and feedback is critical to the implementation and growth of any medical home.