Tools for Implementing the PCMH

Find tools and resources that relate to implementing the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) in primary care.

Primary Care Practice Facilitation Curriculum

The Primary Care Practice Facilitation (PCPF) Curriculum is designed to support the development of a PCPF workforce prepared to help transform and revitalize primary care by supporting widespread adoption of new models of care delivery and the use of continuous quality improvement to improve health care outcomes. This PCPF curriculum can serve to train both new and experienced practice facilitators in the knowledge and skills needed to support meaningful improvement in primary care practices.

This curriculum builds on and expands earlier training resources for PCPF developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Some of the curriculum modules are new, and others are updated versions of material available in the Practice Facilitation Handbook. The objective of this curriculum is to provide a more comprehensive practice facilitator training curriculum. In conjunction with other practice facilitation training resources available from AHRQ, this curriculum can be used to develop a comprehensive PCPF training program

Explore the curriculum >>

5 Key Functions and Attributes of the Medical Home

The medical home model holds promise as a way to improve health care in America by transforming how primary care is organized and delivered. As defined by AHRQ, the medical home encompasses five functions and attributes:

  1. Comprehensive Care
  2. Patient-Centered Care
  3. Coordinated Care
  4. Accessible Services
  5. Quality and Safety

Find resources on PCMH functions >>

Foundational Supports for the PCMH Model

AHRQ also recognizes the central role of health IT in successfully operationalizing and implementing the medical home and notes that building a sustainable primary care delivery platform will require significant workforce development and fundamental payment reform.

Find resources about PCMH foundations >>

Practice Facilitation

Practice facilitation is one of the most promising strategies to support the transition to new models of primary care. Practice facilitators are external agents who work with primary care practice teams to make meaningful changes with the goal of improving quality and outcomes of care. AHRQ is developing resources for organizations that are interested in providing practice facilitation services to primary care practices that are interested in becoming medical homes or are in the process of becoming medical homes.

Find tools and resources on practice facilitation >>