Dr. Bove said he suspects that cardiologists are acting as medical homes for a larger number of patients than cited in that study. But either way, he thinks a system could be developed that would allow cardiologists who are willing to invest the time in qualifying as medical homes to be recognized and paid, even if another portion of their practice is devoted primarily to procedural services.
For its part, the ACC has established a Patient Centered Care Committee that is working on cardiology models for the patient-centered medical home. The committee is setting up protocols so that cardiologists who are interested can apply to medical home pilots being set up under the new health care reform law.