CEE FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about the Center for Employer Engagement (CEE)

•  What does the CEE do – and how can my participation help me?

The Center’s focus is to engage employers in informed discussion about the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) as a potential means for improving healthcare quality and efficiency, with the goal of lowering overall employer healthcare expenditures. Individuals and organizations participating in Center activities will benefit from gaining a better understanding of PCMH principles and implementation strategies for application to their own setting. Bimonthly conference calls provide a venue for presentation of selected topics relevant to PCMH, and are a forum for exchange of ideas and networking.

• Is PCMH a panacea for rising healthcare costs?

Since PCMH is a comprehensive strategy to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery, it will likely lower healthcare costs for participating employers. Current evidence indicates that improved healthcare quality and care coordination can result in demonstrable reductions in emergency department use and avoidable hospitalizations.

• As an employer, how can I find out about PCMH activities in my area?

Check the listing of PCMH pilots on our Pilots & Demonstration page. Also, a number of other good sources may be able to help you learn about local PCMH initiatives. Consider checking with your health plan about their awareness of medical home programs. Also, other area employers may have knowledge of PCMH activities, as may local or regional employer health or business coalitions.

• How can I get PCMH activities going in my area?

Generate interest by providing area employers with information about the benefits of PCMH. The Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) has a speakers list of individuals who are available to provide educational programs about PCMH. Consider approaching area health plans to investigate the potential for collaboration. If there are some high volume primary care practices, consider initiating discussions with those groups regarding PCMH program implementation. Use the Patient-Centered Medical Home Purchaser Guide  an important resource developed by this Center, as a basis for dialogue.

• What is this going to cost – and how long before I can measure savings for my business?

Preliminary results from established PCMH programs suggest that cost savings may result within two years. However, employers should use their own data to develop projections regarding costs and anticipated cost savings. Both the program cost and results depend on the number of employees and dependents actively engaged in the PCMH program, the number of participating providers, the reimbursement approach, and the prior year’s claims experience. 

• Where can I learn about what other employers are doing?

The best place to learn about employer PCMH activities at a national level is to review the case studies included on this website, in the Proof in Practice Pilot document.  

• What questions can I ask my health and pharmacy benefit plans to learn whether implementing a PCMH offering in my area makes sense?

Both medical and pharmacy claims data can provide support for informed decision-making regarding implementation of a PCMH program. Generally, low rates of use of preventive care or recommended disease-specific preventive care, low adherence rates for chronic medications, high rates of emergency department use or hospitalizations for chronic conditions may all indicate an opportunity to consider implementation of a PCMH offering.

Additionally, it may also be worth inquiring whether the health plan is involved in PCMH activities elsewhere, either in the local market or elsewhere in the plan’s geographic business area.
Finally, use the The Patient-Centered Medical Home Purchaser Guide, an important resource developed by this Center, as a guide for discussions with your health benefits vendors.

• How can I convince my senior management that this approach makes sense?

Outcomes from existing PCMH programs can provide supportive evidence to help senior management appreciate the value of this approach to healthcare delivery. Additionally, many of the slides from presentations at PCPCC conferences are relevant to employers, and may provide support for the business case for PCMH. Finally, PCMH modeling based on medical and pharmacy claims data can help to quantify the value of implementing a PCMH program.

• How would I get my employees engaged with a PCMH?

Employees will benefit from opportunities to learn more about the value of PCMH. Employers contemplating incorporating PMCH as part of their health benefits strategy should ensure that they have an effective communications program to inform employees about the PCMH and how this approach can help them improve their medical care. PCPCC has prepared a compendium of consumer educational resources regarding PCMH, which can be found here.

A starting point for employee engagement with a PCMH is helping employees recognize the important role that their primary care clinician provides. Many individuals do not have a primary care clinician, and their selection of a primary care clinician can help start to develop the important relationship between clinician and patient. This Center has developed a template letter that employers can use to promote use of primary care services, which can be found here.

In addition to an effective communications campaign, employers may want to consider incorporating PCMH into their benefits design strategy. With PCMH recognized as a high-value service, some employers, for example, have reduced co-pays for patient visits to PCMH providers. 

• Are there any resources available for me to learn more?

The PCPCC website provides a broad range of resources that are rich in content.  Also, for more information about value-based benefit design, a strategy to assist employers in designing healthcare benefit programs that help people stay healthy, the National Business Coalition on Health has developed the Value-Based Benefit Design: A Purchaser Guide . Value-based benefit design is an emerging employer trend to develop health benefit programs that use financial incentives, such as minimizing or eliminating a patient's out-of-pocket costs for high value services like preventive care and prescription drugs. Additionally these programs are designed to encourage the use of high performance doctors and hospitals with the end goal of improved health and reduced health care costs as well as adoption of healthy lifestyles, including smoking cessation and weight management.