As a parent, partnership with your child’s health care providers is the key to quality care!
When parents and their child/youth team up with healthcare providers, the child receives the highest quality care in the most efficient manner.
This concept of partnership between patients, families and the child’s primary care physician forms a Medical Home.
Health care and community components of the Medical Home depend on the patient and family needs. Work with your doctor to determine which components best fit your family’s current and changing needs.
Benefits of a Family/Provider Partnership to Create a Medical Home
- Child and family work with the same doctor and office staff to centralize care, so families spend less time coordinating care
- A trusting, collaborative relationship is created between child, family and doctor where decision making is shared
- Partnership promotes health and quality of life, increases child wellness and reduces emergency visits and hospitalizations
- Lowers the number of days of missed school or work
- Improves health care transition
- Supports finding information and resources
- Respects the child and family’s diversity, values and goals while improving physician, child and family satisfaction
Basic Guidelines for Advocacy of the Medical Home Concept
- Learn about a Medical Home
- Identify decision-makers (insurance companies, physicians and their care coordinators, legislators, and others)
- Learn how to navigate the system
- Communicate your views
- Thank those who have helped