Patient Medical Homes
Patient’s Medical Homes are family medicine clinics that provide patients with continuous care across all life stages and are supported by a connected, interdisciplinary care team.
Primary care providers such as family physicians or nurse practitioners are an important part of team. Many family physicians are building Patient’s Medical Homes in health networks and many work as part of a team. Using a team approach to providing care, will strengthen the connections team members feel to each other. This can help recruit and retain health professionals, especially in rural communities.
Saskatchewan’s health-care system is evolving to ensure that every resident has access to comprehensive, tailored, high quality, team-based primary care through the development of Patient’s Medical Homes (PMH) in Health Networks. Patient Medical Homes are an important component of Health Networks.
Patient’s medical homes exists within the broader Health Network, which is similar in concept to a medical neighborhood as described by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (patientsmedicalhome.ca)
Specialist physicians are also part of a health network. Health networks can enhance connections between specialists and primary care teams through development and implementation of clinical pathways, virtual visits, co-location or visiting teams.
The work to advance health networks and advance medical homes will continue at the same time, in partnership and in a complementary way.