News

NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home™ standards emphasize enhanced care through patient-clinician partnership

WASHINGTON, DC—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has announced that the St. Joseph’s/Candler Primary Care on Eisenhower practice has received NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long‐term, participative relationships.

The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients’ experience of care and reduce costs.

A “medical home” is a medical office or clinic where a team of health professionals work together to provide a new, expanded type of care to patients. Having a medical home feels like having an old style family doctor, but with a team of professionals, using modern knowledge and technology, to provide the best possible care for you in their office.

Each patient’s care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.

Your Medical Team

This team may include a physician, nurse, medical assistant and a Care Coordinator, as well as other health care professionals, like a pharmacist or physical therapist. Your physician will keep up with your case and make sure that the whole team is in communication on your care.

We use Electronic Medical Records to help coordinate your care, so that you don’t have to repeat the same information with each health care provider. The goal is to make sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to your care. These team members are like having “health coaches” who help you get healthy, stay healthy and get the care and services that are right for you.

How it Works

In a medical home, your care team:
• Is available 24/7 if you need them. You can communicate with your care team by phone or email, and you can get an appointment quickly.
• Knows you and remembers your health history. They know enough about your personal or family situation to suggest treatment options that make sense for you.
• Makes sure you understand your conditions and how to take care of yourself. They help you sort through your options and make decisions about your care.
• Helps you coordinate your health care – even if they are not giving the care themselves. They will help you find specialists, get appointments, and make sure specialists have all the information they need.

To earn recognition, which is valid for three years, St. Joseph’s/Candler Medical Group – Eisenhower demonstrated the ability to meet the program’s key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards are aligned with the joint principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association.
To find clinicians and their practices with NCQA PCMH Recognition, visit recognition.ncqa.org.

About St. Joseph’s/Candler and the Primary Care – Eisenhower practice

St. Joseph’s/Candler is a 714-bed, Magnet-designated facility for nursing excellence, with a focus on the latest technologies and research. Its comprehensive network includes centers of excellence for oncology, cardiovascular, neurosciences, women’s and children’s services, orthopedics and a variety of other disease specialties.
SJ/C has more than a dozen primary care offices throughout the region specializing in primary care, internal medicine and family practice.

For more information, visit www.sjchs.org or to make an appointment at the Eisenhower practice, visit www.sjchs.org/eisenhower.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s Web site (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

###