Patient Centered Medical Homes Coming to Alaska

Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) are coming to Alaska. The Alaska Primary Care Association (APCA) posted a press release with the Request for Letters of Interest to primary care providers interested in transformation to a Patient Centered Medical Home model. As opposed to the existing fee-for-service, this model treats the “whole person”, including physical health and mental health.

PCMHs use a ‘whole-person’ approach by integrating behavioral, primary, and specialty care through care coordinators, that will make certain the healthcare system in Alaska continues to improve and provide high quality care well into the future.”

As a part of the grant program called The Alaska Patient Centered Medical Home Initiative (AK-PCMH-I) APCA issued the Request for Proposals (RFP) on March 24, 2014. Submissions were due on April 21, 2014.

According to the RFP, “The ultimate goals of the AKPCMH-I are to develop a practice/delivery model for health care homes in Alaska that improve health and behavioral health outcomes, increase access to services, reduce the system-wide costs of care as well as increase the ease and efficiency of navigating the system.” The project will be implemented in a five year period and should be done by April 30, 2019.

Alaska recently received $1 million grant for developing the patient-centered medical home model, according to Alaska Dispatch. Funded by the state’s Department of Health and Social Services and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, the grant will be divided between five sites which include Alaska Center for Pediatrics, Mat-Su Health Services, Inc., Homer Medical Center, Peninsula Community Health Services of Alaska, and SVT Health and Wellness.