All Care Health Center Receives Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently renewed its recognition of All Care Health Center as a Patient-Centered Medical Home.
A Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a model of care that puts patients at the forefront of care. Care is coordinated through a primary care provider to ensure the patient receives needed services in a way that is understandable. PCMHs build extensive relationships between patients and their clinical care teams. This is well-demonstrated by All Care Health Center’s Team-Based Care approach.
At All Care, Team-Based Care means expanded access to care, including more hours of coverage and shorter wait times, and effective and efficient delivery of additional services such as patient education, mental health services, self-management support, and care coordination between departments. The approach supports increased job satisfaction, as well as data-driven quality improvement. This continual improvement circles back to propel All Care’s recognition as a Patient Centered Medical Home.
PCMHs are recognized as the drivers of the most important reforms in healthcare delivery. PCMHs save both patients and taxpayers money by reducing hospital and emergency department visits, alleviating health disparities, and improving patient outcomes. Health Centers that earn PCMH recognition have made a commitment to continuous quality improvement.
All Care sustains its recognition through annual reporting. Reports demonstrate continuous alignment through both evidence and data, combined with virtual reviews. Reporting must uphold key criteria that support each concept in the PCMH program. These concepts include: Team-Based Care and Practice Organization; Knowing & Managing your Patients; Patient-Centered Access and Continuity; Care Management and Support; Care Coordination and Care Transitions; and Performance Measurement and Quality Improvement. All Care’s Quality Improvement Director, Kristen Hendershot, has led recognition efforts since the health center’s first recognition in 2013. “I’ve never been more grateful to work for and with such a dedicated team of healthcare professionals as we respond to a world-wide crisis and still manage to provide high quality services and support to ALL in our community,” states Hendershot.
Hendershot’s team supplies the NCQA with evidence each year of services and workflows that meet the necessary PCMH standards. A continual patient-centered practice of implementation and enhancements that follow the PCMH model enable All Care to achieve and maintain recognition. The recognition exemplifies All Care’s commitment to service that it demonstrates by “continuing to provide excellent, patient-centered care to our patients,” states Hendershot. All Care offers primary medical care, mental health, dental, women’s healthcare, access services and an on-site pharmacy to patients.
NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition program is the most widely adopted PCMH evaluation program in the country. NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality. NCQA’s website contains information to help consumers, employers and others to make informed health care choices.
All Care also upholds a Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission that symbolizes All Care’s compliance with the highest national standards for safety and quality of care and a commitment to continually improving patient care.