Insurers Test Medical Homes To Curb Chronic Care Costs

Some insurers are implementing versions of the medical home model, which seeks to better coordinate care and lower long-term costs by paying physicians and nurses to monitor patients with chronically illnesses. Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System -- a health care provider network that also covers about 250,000 individuals through its insurance plan -- has begun paying the salaries of extra nurses in physician offices to help patients manage chronic conditions and avoid hospital admission. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island launched a similar program earlier this year, while Aetna, Cigna and WellPoint are considering comparable initiatives.

• "A Health Insurer Pays More To Save" (Abelson, New York Times, 6/21).