Eye Care Communications, Part 3

Continued from Part 2 ... 


This week, we are looking at EMRlogic's National Eye Care Communications Project, understanding what this project is and why we need it. We began on Monday looking at it through the eyes of a new and very important pilot project, the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) Initiative. On Wednesday, we discussed the importance of pilot projects, and of ECP involvement in them. Today, we look again at the big picture: primary care and the Medical Home model.

Medical Home or Medical Community?

Nationally, one of the challenges that the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology is facing is the resistance of large health systems to implement DIRECT, as these communications provide equal access to all health care providers in communicating with all other health care providers. The exchanges set up by health systems are primarily designed to funnel patients into their system rather than create equal access to patients. This phenomenon is resulting in a new term in the healthcare literature and media. 


The new term differentiates the Patient-Centered Medical Home model, which is structured around communications through a closed exchange, and alternatively introduces a Patient-Centered Medical Community model, which utilizes DIRECT communications with equal access for all health care providers. It is a primary goal of the NECC Project to ensure that local eye care providers are aware of this distinction and to encourage participants to influence the creation of a medical community that includes independent providers, especially independent eye care providers. 


To be continued ... 


Alistair Jackson, M.Ed.
Jim Grue, O.D.