Medical Home
The new primary care delivery model, "Medical Home," is gaining national momentum. Introduced in 1967 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the concept has expanded to address the crisis in primary care.
Today, the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a means of re-engineering primary care to ensure that each person has a primary care doctor who leads a team of professionals and coordinates all healthcare needs. Medical Home is not a return to house calls, nor is it limited to people with complex health problems.
Supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Physicians (ACP) and American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the PCMH concept has spurred bipartisan Congressional legislation for Medicaid and children's health insurance programs. Medicare has a PCMH demonstration project scheduled for 2010 with significant reimbursement incentives for selected providers. SFHCP is actively seeking identification as a demonstration site.
In 2006, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) was formed to promote the PCMH model using the standards established by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Created by IBM and other innovators, PCPCC membership includes more than 500 large employers, insurers, consumer groups and physicians. SFHCP is part of this national collaboration.
Clinical Integration Initiative Manages Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Process
NCQA offers the Physician Practice Connections®-Patient-Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH) as one its recognition programs. The program recognizes physician practices that function as medical homes by using systematic, patient-centered and coordinated care management processes.
Saint Francis HealthCare Partners (SFHCP) manages the recognition process at no cost to physician members or practices as part of its Clinical Integration Program. SFHCP's Care Coordination staff visits the physician's office or practice, analyzes the initial assessment form, assists with development of policies and procedures for each office, abstracts all necessary documentation to support NCQA standards, analyzes the data to ensure recognition eligibility and provides feedback. If the required standards are met, SFHCP completes the NCQA application process, pays the application fees and submits the information.
When a physician or practice receives NCQA recognition, SFHCP frames the official NCQA certificate and presents it to the recipient.
Achieving NCQA recognition awards the physician the distinction of being identified as a high quality physician who is a leader in delivering quality health care. More than 10,000 of the nation's leading physicians and practices have earned this distinction. Recognized physicians are listed online in the NCQA Recognized Physician Directory and are specially denoted in the Saint Francis Physician Directory.
For more information
Contact SFHCP to learn more about the NCQA Medical Home Certification program. To begin preparation for PCC-PCMH, use the Medical Home Pre-Assessment template.