PMH in Nova Scotia

In Nova Scotia, there are 96 Collaborative Family Practice Teams, a group of health care providers who provide responsive, patient-centered, comprehensive, and accessible primary care. The teams can consist of family doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, dietitians, and other allied health professionals.

Supported by the Nova Scotia Health Authority through the provincial government, Collaborative Family Practice Teams work within a Health Home model, a patient-centred, team-based, primary health care delivery system that promotes access to timely, coordinated, comprehensive, and continuous primary care with the potential to ease the workloads of family physicians, improve doctor retention, and allow better access to care.

The Health Home model aligns most with the Patient’s Medical Home vision. The Home Health functions as a sustainable hub where patients, families, and caregivers develop continuous relationships with their health care providers while receiving accessible, timely, coordinated, and comprehensive health care services. It also serves as a mechanism for the delivery of primary care by Collaborative Family Practice Teams and as a blueprint for achieving the Triple Aim: improved population health outcomes, improved patient experience, and reduced per capita costs.

It is envisioned that all Nova Scotians and their families will eventually have access to comprehensive primary care services from a Collaborative Family Practice Team working in the Health Home model.