Posted: 4/22/2015
COPC clinics, HOMES program achieve elite status
Parkland Health & Hospital System announced that its 12 Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC) health centers, Family Medicine sites and Homeless Outreach Medical Services (HOMES) program have received the Physician Practice Connections–Patient Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH) recognition as a Level 3 patient centered medical home from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home standards emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care that supports access, communication and patient involvement.
“NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition raises the bar in defining high quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology and coordinated care focused on patients,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Recognition shows that Parkland Health & Hospital System has the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time.”
“As one of only a few public health facilities in the nation to achieve NCQA Level 3 recognition, Parkland is extremely proud of our progress in caring for patients under this new paradigm. NCQA Level 3 designation recognizes Parkland’s quality improvements and efficiency of care through evidence-based and patient-centered processes,” said Sharon Phillips, MBA, RN, Parkland’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer–Population Health.
The medical home model focuses on the individual and involves an active partnership between the patient, physician and a healthcare team. Members of the team may vary, depending on the patient’s needs.
“For the past six years Parkland has been refining our practice to meet key elements defining a medical home such as written standards for patient access and enhanced communications, responsive care management techniques with an emphasis on preventive care and the use of evidence-based guidelines to treat chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and congestive heart failure,” Phillips added.
The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home program reflects the input of the American College of Physicians (ACP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and others. It was developed to assess whether clinician practices are functioning as medical homes and recognize them for these efforts.
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 is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.