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				 NCQA News Release 
  July 15, 2010  
   
  HIMSS and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)  offer guidance to ambulatory care settings on how health IT can help them  function as a PCMH 
  
  CHICAGO AND WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a new fact sheet,  HIMSS and NCQA provide an overview of the Patient-Centered Medical Home model  of care and highlight the role of health IT in NCQAs as a  Physician  Practice Connections®-Patient-Centered Medical Home™ (PPC®  -PCMH™).  The guide includes five examples of ambulatory patient care  settings that achieved this recognition. 
   
  A Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of care where patients  have a direct relationship with a provider who coordinates a cooperative team  of healthcare professionals, takes collective responsibility for the care  provided to the patient and arranges for appropriate care with other qualified  providers as needed.  Source:  HIMSS/NCQA Fact Sheet 
   
  NCQA developed the PCMH program with input from four organizations representing  primary care physicians: American Academy of Family Physicians, American  Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians and American Osteopathic  Association, plus other contributors.  
   
  NCQA has nine standards for medical homes with standards  for each of  three recognition levels.  By meeting these standards, a medical practice  can improve patient care and take advantage of incentive payments that reward  patient-centered medical homes. 
   
  "This informative NCQA-HIMSS fact sheet provides a guide for practices  interested in becoming NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Homes," said Rick Moore,  NCQA Chief Information Officer. "With the implementation of HIT in medical  homes, physicians can provide quality and efficient medical care in an active,  ongoing relationship." 
   
  Four of the five healthcare settings featured in the fact sheet won the HIMSS  Davies of Award of Excellence that honors excellence and value in implementing  health IT, specifically electronic health records.  The case examples in  the fact sheet are:
  
  Community Health Centers 
  - Urban  Health Plan, Inc. - Bronx, NY  2009 HIMSS Davies Community Health  Organization winner 
 
  - Community  Health Access Network - New Market, NH 2008 HIMSS Davies Community Health  Organization winner 
 
  - Institute  for Family Health - New York, NY 2007 HIMSS Davies Public Health Award  winner
 
 
Primary Care Practices 
  - Salvatore  Volpe, MD, PC - Staten Island, NY 
 
  - Southeast  Texas Medical Association (SETMA) - Beaumont,  Texas      
 
 
Why did these organizations decide to become Patient-Centered  Medical Homes?  
        
  In identifying the value of this achievement, the Community Health Access  Network, answers "enhanced patient-focused care, evidence-based practice and  staff satisfaction. PCMH emphasizes preventive healthcare and disease  management.  Going through the process of becoming recognized as a PCMH  assisted us to streamline processes for patient access to healthcare.  The  process lets staff become part of the solution, improving morale."  
       
  "Health IT is a vital component of the Patient-Centered Medical Home because it  helps improve patient care by providing immediate and consistent access to  patient health data," says David Collins, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, Director, Healthcare  Information Systems, HIMSS.   
   
  "Through health IT, such as e-prescribing and the EHR, physicians and other  clinicians practicing in the patient-centered medical home can better  coordinate care among each other and with their patients." 
        
  Click here to view the fact sheet. 
  Find out more about the NCQA Patient-Centered  Medical Home. 
  Learn more about the HIMSS Davies  Awards of Excellence.  
   
  About HIMSS 
   
 The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is a  comprehensive healthcare-stakeholder membership organization exclusively  focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information  technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare.  Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, Singapore,  and other locations across the United States, HIMSS represents more than 30,000  individual members, of which 73% work in patient care delivery settings. HIMSS  also includes over 380 corporate members and nearly 30 not-for-profit  organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the  effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames  and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its  educational, professional development, and advocacy initiatives designed to  promote information and management systems' contributions to ensuring quality  patient care. 
   
    About the National Committee for Quality Assurance 
   
  Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010, 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 is committed to providing health  care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and  researchers. 
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