Hawaii health care planners have been batting specialized terms back and forth for years now — "patient-centered medical home," "accountable care organizations," "community care teams" and the like. At the end of the month, officials will invite the rest of the public to join the conversation.

"We talk in our own particular jargon," admitted Beth Giesting, the state’s health care transformation coordinator. "‘Patient-centered medical home’ — nobody knows what that is. The general public has no idea. They ask, ‘Is that home health?’"

After June 30, they may become at least a little clearer on the concept. That’s when the state plans to release the first draft of its "implementation plan for comprehensive health care transformation," to be posted online at the Hawai‘i Healthcare Project website (www.hawaiihealthcareproject.org), said Giesting.

There will be a series of public meetings and focus groups planned to help explain things and get their ideas about how to make health care delivery more efficient and affordable, which is the aim of the Affordable Care Act.

For those not inclined to log on a month from now to learn all the buzzwords, here’s a sample glossary, adapted from one of the policy papers already online:

» The "patient-centered medical home" is the primary health care source that includes various professionals who keep the patient on track. The provider "is familiar with the patient’s needs, circumstances and normal condition" through regular visits, promoting early detection of new problems and preventive care.

» An "accountable care organization" is a network of primary care, specialty and hospital providers that oversee the whole spectrum of care for a group of patients. It also provides a payment strategy, with the network getting a single fee for each patient, giving all providers financial incentives in quality, cost-effective care.

» A "community care team" enables physicians in solo practice to create patient-centered teams from community resources. The doctor won’t have to employ the community care workers — a separate agency or their independent physicians association could do that.

This plan is just the first step on a long reform road, Giesting said.

"People should expect neither disaster nor nirvana to happen all at once," she said.