Defining a "Medical Home" for Iowa Children

The medical home is a practice paradigm, a way of providing a child and his or her family ongoing, effective, trustworthy health care that is:

Accessible

• The child has access to health care near the child's home, in the community.
• Care is affordable; Medicaid is accepted and changes are accommodated.

Ongoing

• The child has the same primary health care providers from birth through adolescence.
• As a result, a caring relationship exists between the child, family, and care providers.

Family centered

• The family is recognized as the child's primary source of strength and support.
• The open sharing of unbiased, understandable information provides the foundation for care.

Comprehensive

• A qualified physician supervises the many facets of the child's health care.
• Health care is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Preventive, primary and tertiary needs are addressed.

Preventive

• Care includes periodic screenings, evaluation of growth and development, immunizations and health care supervision.
• The physician offers the child and the family guidance on health and psychosocial issues.
• Preparation for transitions -- from newborn nursery to home, home to school, school to adult life -- make transitions easier.

Coordinated, collaborative, compassionate, and culturally competent

• Referrals to and consultations with subspecialties occur as needed; the physician serves as a liaison between the child/family and subspecialty care providers.
• The physician links the child and family to other resources, such as support, education, and community-based services.
• The child and family understand that their well being -- physical, emotional, and social -- is their physician's primary concern.
• The physician recognizes, values, and responds to the culture of the child and family.

Well-documented

• The medical home maintains careful records of all pertinent medical information about the child.
• Information is centralized and accessible, while confidentiality is maintained.