2/18/2010 © Health News Florida
It's becoming a familiar routine. Whenever the Senate Health Regulation Committee meets, the Agency for Health Care Administration can expect a tongue-lashing from Chairman Don Gaetz.
Today, Gaetz blasted AHCA for not including more-detailed plans in a report about using medical homes in the Medicaid program.
Gaetz, R-Niceville, said he was "extremely disappointed'' that the report didn't go further in making recommendations about implementing the medical-home concept. The report stemmed from the work of a task forced created last year by the Legislature.
"If the agency would have done its job, we would be further ahead,'' Gaetz said.
The comments came as Gaetz's committee took testimony from a series of speakers about using medical homes to care for Medicaid enrollees, but none of the speakers was from AHCA.
The medical-home concept aims to put patients in the care of a team led by a primary-care doctor so that care can be coordinated better.