Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP James L. Holly, M.D. Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP


In The News - Connecting Health Information Technology and The Patient Centered Medical Home
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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.