From Concierge Medicine to Patient-Centered Medical Homes: International Lessons and the Search for a Better Way to Deliver Primary Health Care in the U.S

This paper will proceed in eight parts. Part II explores why primary care is a critical component of a country's health care delivery system. Part III describes patient and physician dissatisfaction with the current state of primary care delivery in the United States. Parts IV and V describe physician-designed solutions and Congress' responses to them. Part VI describes the role of primary care in the delivery of health services in the international context by focusing on the World Health Organization's Health for All policy and the policies supporting primary care in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Part VII identifies the international health policies that are consistent with those of the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH). Part VIII identifies and analyzes the lessons that can be learned from the international context that demonstrate that widespread promotion of the PCMH model is sound health policy. Finally, Part IX provides recommendations for future legislation to maximize the benefits that will result from using the PCMH to improve beneficiary health outcomes and provide cost-effective health care.