Roles of Health Care Providers for Families, Emerging

In the past, a medical home was thought to apply exclusively to a primary care practice where a child with special health care needs received primary care services. This definition has expanded to include many other professionals and has far-reaching impacts on the clinicians of multiple specialties.

According to the 2000 U.S. census data, approximately 6% or 2.6 million children and youth ages 5 to 15 years have a disability. Currently, it is accepted that most children born with special health care needs reach adulthood. Often, the success of excellent pediatric medicine results in young adults who require ongoing, sometimes intensive, medical supervision throughout their lives. In 2002, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a statement calling for a medical home for all children with ...