Is the patient-centered medical home an HMO plan?
A. No. A patient-centered medical home is not an HMO. In the Providence Choice medical home, you select the provider you want to work with and together you make decisions about the health care you need, including specialists. You do not need to get health plan approval before seeing a specialist. These are decisions between you and your provider, not the health plan. You can choose to see a provider who is in our network and use in-plan benefits or see a provider who is out of our network and use out-of-plan benefits. It’s up to you. You’ll find that receiving care from or coordinated by your medical home has tremendous health and cost benefits, including the advantage of a team who knows you and your unique care needs. With the new medical home model, it’s really you, your provider and other health team members making decisions and determining next steps about your health.
