Patients with heart disease require extensive care that is often spread across multiple providers. New research finds that these individuals receive higher quality care when they are treated in a patient centered medical home, a model of care that uses technology like electronic health records to coordinate all of a patient's services.

A team of researchers from Harris Interactive examined the medical records of 18,000 sicker individuals from countries throughout Europe and North America, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The results, which were published in the journal Health Affairs, showed that those who had a relationship with a primary care provider who coordinated their care were more likely to have improved treatment outcomes.

Care coordination was particularly low in the U.S., which led to worse outcomes. In many cases, participants were shown to forego medical treatments because they could not afford them.

The researchers wrote that bringing down medical costs will be the key to ensuring that all individuals with chronic diseases are cared for appropriately. Having more practices transition to a patient centered medical home style of care may help accomplish this goal.