Visits to a hospital emergency department were cut by 55% when a medical home model was used to coordinate care for chronically ill children, study data showed. The model used by the University of California, Los Angeles, conformed to AAP guidelines and featured a one-hour intake appointment and 40-minute follow-up visits, a bilingual liaison for families, and a binder to help families store their child's medical records in a single place. 

MAINTAIN is a patience assistance program that can help eligible people in financial need continue to get their Pfizer medicines if they are unemployed and do not have prescription coverage. The MAINTAIN program has been extended through December 2010.

Each month, Family Voices- New Jersey, an advocacy and support service for families with children who have special healthcare needs, receives about 2,000 calls and e-mails for assistance in navigating the healthcare and insurance system and other support.

An E-newsletter dedicated to providing medical home information and resources for children with special needs from National AAP.

Access to care for New Jersey's children with Medicaid is a major battle because nationally low reimbursement rates for pediatric specialists have caused the specialists to either ration services or totally refuse to provide care. This issue of access has been a problem for many years but has recently been exacerbated by rising malpractice rates and cost of living while Medicaid reimbursement rates remain low.

Pediatric medical homes significantly improve the level and coordination of care, according to results of a three-year survey of 10 practices in New Hampshire and Vermont. Parents participating in the survey said their children had fewer hospitalizations and school absences. Parents also were more likely to have a written health care plan when their child had a medical home to coordinate care.