Medical Home ABC's

Stories and Conversations

Partnering With Providers

Taking Care of Your Family

Finding Services

Health Information

Coordinating Your Child's Care

School Tools

Organizing Your Paperwork

Paying for Services

Transition

Family and Youth Leadership

Suggestions for this site?

Medical Home ABCs

What is a Medical Home?

Medical Home Brochure

Other Resources

What is a Medical Home?

A medical home is not just a place.  A medical home is a partnership between your family and your child's doctor* or primary health care provider that emphasizes "home" as:

• Headquarters for care

• A place children and youth with special health care needs and their families feel recognized and supported

• Part of community services

*(Note: By primary health care provider we mean a pediatrician, family medicine doctor, nurse practitioner, physician assistant or specialist serving as a primary care provider)

In a medical home the child or youth, his or her family, primary care provider, and other health professionals develop a trusting partnership based on mutual responsibility and respect for each other's expertise. Partners share complete information with each other.

Together, families, health care professionals and community service providers identify and access all medical and non-medical services needed to help the child and family.

Medical homes are especially important for children and youth with special health care needs and their families.  However, everyone benefits from coordinated, family-centered care.

A Medical Home includes:

• A partnership between your family and your child’s primary care doctor
• A relationship based on mutual trust and respect
• Connections to supports and services to meet your child’s and family’s needs
• Respect for your family’s cultural and religious beliefs
• After hours and weekend access to medical consultation about your child
• Feeling supported in caring for your child with special health care needs
• Your child’s primary care doctor working with your team of other care providers to coordinate your child's care.

The medical home approach values and supports families in their role as primary care giver and expert on their individual child.  Primary health care providers bring their experience with larger numbers of children with similar conditions and the medical expertise to help families understand and integrate recommendations from a variety of health care providers. 

For an example of a medical home see Why I Appreciate My Children's Medical Home" : A parent talks about her children's medical home and what the physicians and office staff do to make the relationship a rewarding one for the family.

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Medical Home Brochure: Families and Providers Working Together

This brochure provides definitions, benefits and tips for families about having a Medical Home for their child in Washington State.

Available in PDF format in: English and Spanish

To order: Medical Home Leadership Network, info@medicalhome.org
Phone:  (206) 685-1279

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Other Resources

• The Family section "landing page" or overview page outlines what families can find in this section.

• The National Center of Medical Home Initiatives for Children with Special Needs at the American Academy of Pediatrics has excellent Tools for Families and Tools for Youth

• Read how the American Academy of Pediatrics describes what a medical home is and the role of pediatricians in a medical home - Medical Home Policy Statement

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