The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) invited states on June 2 to apply to participate in the Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration.   This multi-payer “medical home” initiative seeks to combine Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance payers in state-based efforts to improve delivery of patient-centered primary and preventive care using a coordinated team approach and shared patient/provider decision-making assisted by health information technology.   The federal initiative builds on years of “medical home” innovation in North Carolina and other states, a CMS strategy for involving Medicare and other payers announced in September 2009, and a state Medicaid option to provide “health homes” to the chronically ill under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).   CMS announced on June 2 that it is sponsoring a June 9 “open door forum” teleconference to explain the latest multi-payer demonstration requirements and to help states consider if they are ready to apply.   CMS may award demonstration grants to six states.  Applications for the three-year demonstration will be due August 3, 2010.