Medical Home and the Nurse Practitioner: A Policy Analysis

As chronic disease and health care costs escalate, nurse practitioners (NPs) are in a pivotal position to participate in the Medicare Medical Home Demonstration Project (2006) that allows for NP-led patient-centered medical home practices to be reimbursed for coordination of chronic care, specifically for those complex patients with multiple chronic conditions. This policy analysis reviews the evidence for three potential patient-centered practice design alternatives, to evaluate the most viable patient-centered medical home practice design alternative for NPs. Strategies are included for NPs to actively participate in this endeavor.