Blue Hill Family Medicine has been recognized as a patient centered medical home by the National Center for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare in the United States. Since its founding in 1990, NCQA has been a central figure in driving improvement throughout the health care system, helping to elevate the issue of health care quality to the top of the national agenda. The Blue Hill primary care practice received recognition at level two and will be eligible for recognition at level three after electronic medical records (EMR) have been implemented.
NCQA describes the patient centered medical home as “a health care setting that facilitates partnerships between individual patients, and their personal physicians, and when appropriate, the patient’s family. Care is facilitated by registries, information technology, health information exchange and other means to assure that patients get the indicated care when and where they need and want it in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.”
The NCQA patient centered medical home program reflects the input of the American College of Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Osteopathic Association among others. Together, such organizations place a high value on the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care management processes. Access and communication, care management, test and referral tracking, and performance reporting and tracking are among the aspects of care that are measured.
Blue Hill Memorial Hospital’s vice-president for physician services, Deborah Turner, explains that the patient centered medical home is a model of care that holds significant promise for better health care quality, improved involvement of patients in their own care and reduced avoidable costs over time. She also notes that the recent recognition “clearly demonstrates that the entire staff at Blue Hill Family Medicine is committed to creating an environment where our patients can receive outstanding care in spite of substantial obstacles.” Turner cites chronic disease, an aging demographic, economic hardship, and physician recruitment as major challenges.
“Our participation in the Maine Patient Centered Medical Home Pilot project contributed to our achievement of this national quality certification” says Turner. “Blue Hill Family Medicine is fortunate to be one of 26 practices selected for this state-wide primary care improvement initiative.” Over the next three years, participating practices will receive technical support to transform their systems of care and will periodically join together to share experiences and knowledge, including better ways to partner with their patients to understand their needs and preferences, and to achieve optimal health.
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