Bridges to Excellence Launches Medical Ho...( Doctors can qualify for ...),Health

Doctors can qualify for up to $100,000 in bonuses

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Bridges to Excellence (BTE), the nation's largest effort to reward physicians for delivery of high quality care, announced its support of the medical home approach to providing health care by launching the BTE Medical Home Program. The initiative will reward physicians that demonstrate they have adopted really good systems and processes of care, and are using those systems to deliver positive results in the management of their patients -- in particular patients with chronic conditions.

BTE's Medical Home recognition is a natural extension of its current programs and will be automatically triggered when doctors achieve a certain level of performance in BTE's Physician Office Link Program and at least two of BTE's condition-specific programs, such as the Diabetes Care Link, Cardiac Care Link and Spine Care Link.

Medical home

A medical home provides patients with access to quality health care from doctors who practice evidence-based guidelines; use appropriate health information technology; and demonstrate the use of "best practices" while being accountable for the quality and value of care.

The medical home approach was initially developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and has been fully endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians and the American Osteopathic Association. Members of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, a coalition of major employers, consumer groups, and other stakeholders including BTE, have joined with organizations representing physicians to develop and advance the patient-centered medical home.

"The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) believes everyone should have a personal medical home -- a family physician who serves as the focal point through which they receive acute, chronic and preventive medical services," said J
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