New Online Course Teaches Practice Leaders How to Function as a Medical Home

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has launched an online course for physicians, administrators and other medical practice leaders who want to transform their practices into “medical homes.” The term “medical home” describes health care practices that provide comprehensive, coordinated and continuous care to patients, including those with chronic illnesses. The development of the course was made possible by grant funding from the John A. Hartford Foundation.

The course, Practice Leaders in Medical Homes, includes nine one-hour modules of online training developed by nine of the nation’s leading experts on elements of medical homes. The course builds a practice leader’s knowledge of the practice’s readiness to change and the process of leading change, using health information technology, and building interdisciplinary teams. Other modules focus on communication skills, patient self-management, care management, continuity of care and managing professional teams—all of which are critical elements to building a successful medical home.

“Over 133 million Americans suffer from chronic conditions and the medical home model can help them lead healthier lives,” said Chad Boult, MD, MPH, MBA, director of the Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the leader of the course. “While traditional care is reactive and geared to address acute care needs, successful medical homes focus on averting health challenges before they become problems. The goal is to connect the many elements of patient care, including those that occur outside the doctor’s office.”

Practice Leaders in Medical Homes is provided by the Center for Teaching and Learning with Technology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to physicians and practice leaders for $15 per module. Participants who successfully complete each module receive a certificate of completion, and physicians can earn one CME credit per one-hour module. Each module has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 1 prescribed AMA PRA Category 1 CME credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians or 1 Category 2-B credit by the American Osteopathic Association. The course may qualify for CE credit from the American College of Medical Practice Executives and other organizations. The course can be accessed at http://medhomeinfo.org/tools.htm.

About the John A. Hartford Foundation

Founded in 1929, the John A. Hartford Foundation is a committed champion of training, research and service system innovations that promote the health and independence of America's older adults. Through its grantmaking, the Foundation seeks to strengthen the nation's capacity to provide effective, affordable care to this rapidly increasing older population by educating "aging-prepared" health professionals (physicians, nurses, social workers), and developing innovations that improve and better integrate health and supportive services. The Foundation was established by John A. Hartford. Mr. Hartford and his brother, George L. Hartford, both former chief executives of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, left the bulk of their estates to the Foundation upon their deaths in the 1950's. Additional information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.jhartfound.org.

About Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is dedicated to the education of a diverse group of research scientists and public health professionals, a process inseparably linked to the discovery and application of new knowledge, and through these activities, to the improvement of health and prevention of disease and disability around the world.

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