A special issue on the patient-centered medical home

This special issue on the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) reflects its times. At the present time, the PCMH is an aspirational model with a few pilots functioning well around the country. How long the current period of idealism, fueled by the energy of early adopters, the consensus of diverse stakeholders, and the dollars of the Affordable Care Act will continue is anybody's guess. Representing the thinking of some of the best minds in the field, the articles in this issue have an aspirational and idealistic tone as much as a descriptive and analytic one. A year ago the balance would have been tipped more toward idealism and model building and a year from now it would, in all likelihood, tip more toward model description and analysis. The authors in this volume have been personally responsible for helping to move behavioral health to a more central position in the PCMH model.