Community Health Teams-Title III, Part III Subtitle F, Section 3502 of PPACA

 What you see is what you get, that is if you can figure it out.  In his e-mail to Medicare beneficiaries promoting the $250 Part D payment and other “benefits” of PPACA for those on Medicare, Vice President Biden says in part:

Community health teams will provide patient-centered care so seniors won’t have to see multiple doctors who don’t work together

Sounds simple enough and certainly it has a positive tone.  Gee, if you “won’t have to” do something that’s a good thing right?  After all, finding a way to better coordinate care is a good thing and it’s too bad such strategy can’t find it’s way into the general population.  However, the concept of coordinated care was rejected by Americans when we killed HMOs. This is not the same of course, but the process for establishing the “teams” sounds eerily like what we heard in 1976 under the HMO Act (that is, if you are old enough to remember that). Simply put, we have a bureaucratic process within multiple layers of government and no doubt pages of regulations that will make War and Peace look like a comic book.  Take a look at this section from PPACA.  WARNING, this is painful reading, but just take a look at the words (like interdisciplinary, interprofessional teams, whole person orientation,)  and you will get a better understanding of the complexity of all this and why many of the people who voted for health care reform, had no time to understand what they were voting for.

Oh yes, I hope they told the AMA about those “capitated payments.” 

SEC. 3502. ESTABLISHING COMMUNITY HEALTH TEAMS TO SUPPORT

THE PATIENT-CENTERED MEDICAL HOME. 

(a)  IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall establish a program to provide grants to or enter into contracts with eligible entities to establish community-based interdisciplinary, interprofessional teams (referred to in this section as ‘‘health teams’’) to support primary care practices, including obstetrics and gynecology practices, within the hospital service areas served by the eligible entities. Grants or contracts shall be used to—

(1) establish health teams to provide support services to primary care providers; and (2) provide capitated payments to primary care providers as determined by the Secretary.

(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a grant or contract under subsection (a), an entity shall—(1)(A) be a State or State-designated entity; or (B) be an Indian tribe or tribal organization, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care  Improvement Act;

(2) submit a plan for achieving long-term financial sustainability within 3 years;

(3) submit a plan for incorporating prevention initiatives and patient education and care management resources into the delivery of health care that is integrated with community based prevention and treatment resources, where available;

 (4) ensure that the health team established by the entity includes an interdisciplinary, interprofessional team of health care providers, as determined by the Secretary; such team may include medical specialists, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, dieticians, social workers, behavioral and mental health providers (including substance use disorder prevention and treatment providers), doctors of chiropractic, licensed complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, and physicians’ assistants;

(5) agree to provide services to eligible individuals with chronic conditions, as described in section 1945 of the Social Security Act (as added by section 2703), in accordance with the payment methodology established under subsection (c) of such section; and

(6) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(c) REQUIREMENTS FOR HEALTH TEAMS.—A health team established pursuant to a grant or contract under subsection (a) shall—

(1) establish contractual agreements with primary care providers to provide support services; (2) support patient-centered medical homes, defined as a mode of care that includes—

(A) personal physicians or other primary care providers;  

(B) whole person orientation;

(C) coordinated and integrated care;

(D) safe and high-quality care through evidence informed medicine, appropriate use of health information technology, and continuous quality improvements;

(E) expanded access to care; and

(F) payment that recognizes added value from additional components of patient-centered care;

(3) collaborate with local primary care providers and existing State and community based resources to coordinate disease prevention, chronic disease management, transitioning between health care providers and settings and case management for patients, including children, with priority given to those amenable to prevention and with chronic diseases or conditions identified by the Secretary;

(4) in collaboration with local health care providers, develop and implement interdisciplinary, interprofessional care plans that integrate clinical and community preventive and health promotion services for patients, including children, with a priority given to those amenable to prevention and with chronic diseases or conditions identified by the Secretary;

(5) incorporate health care providers, patients, caregivers, and authorized representatives in program design and oversight;

(6) provide support necessary for local primary care providers to—

(A) coordinate and provide access to high-quality health care services;

(B) coordinate and provide access to preventive and health promotion services;

(C) provide access to appropriate specialty care and inpatient services;

 (D) provide quality-driven, cost-effective, culturally appropriate, and patient- and family-centered health care;

(E) provide access to pharmacist-delivered medication management services, including medication reconciliation;

(F) provide coordination of the appropriate use of complementary and alternative (CAM) services to those who request such services;

(G) promote effective strategies for treatment planning, monitoring health outcomes and resource use, sharing information, treatment decision support, and organizing care to avoid duplication of service and other medical management approaches intended to improve quality and value of health care services;

(H) provide local access to the continuum of health care services in the most appropriate setting, including access to individuals that implement the care plans of patients and coordinate care, such as integrative health care practitioners;

(I) collect and report data that permits evaluation of the success of the collaborative effort on patient outcomes, including collection of data on patient experience of care, and identification of areas for improvement; and

(J) establish a coordinated system of early identification and referral for children at risk for developmental or behavioral problems such as through the use of info lines, health information technology, or other means as determined by the Secretary;

(7) provide 24-hour care management and support during transitions in care settings including—

(A) a transitional care program that provides onsite visits from the care coordinator, assists with the development of discharge plans and medication reconciliation upon admission to and discharge from the hospitals, nursing home, or other institution setting;

(B) discharge planning and counseling support to providers, patients, caregivers, and authorized representatives;

(C) assuring that post-discharge care plans include medication management, as appropriate;

(D) referrals for mental and behavioral health services, which may include the use of info lines; and

(E) transitional health care needs from adolescence to adulthood;

(8) serve as a liaison to community prevention and treatment programs; (9) demonstrate a capacity to implement and maintain health information technology that meets the requirements of certified EHR technology (as defined in section 3000 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300jj)) to facilitate coordination among members of the applicable care team and affiliated primary care practices; and (10) where applicable, report to the Secretary information on quality measures used under section 399JJ of the Public Health Service Act.

(d) REQUIREMENT FOR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS.—A provider who contracts with a care team shall— (1) provide a care plan to the care team for each patient participant;  (2) provide access to participant health records; and (3) meet regularly with the care team to ensure integration of care.

(e) REPORTING TO SECRETARY.—An entity that receives a grant or contract under subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary a report that describes and evaluates, as requested by the Secretary, the activities carried out by the entity under subsection (c).

(f) DEFINITION OF PRIMARY CARE.—In this section, the term ‘‘primary care’’ means the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community.