Top-tier Medical Center, Primary Care Network, Secures Prestigious Medical Home Accreditation from NCQA
University of Rochester Medical Center Embraces Patient-Centered Medical Home Model for Improved Care
The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) has adopted the National Committee for Quality Assurance's (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model, marking a significant step towards delivering high-quality, coordinated, and patient-centered care.
The PCMH model, implemented by URMC, emphasizes a team-based approach to primary care, with the aim of improving quality, coordination, and patient engagement. Key features include care coordination and comprehensive care management, patient-centeredness, recognition standards, improved outcomes and equity, a multidisciplinary team approach, and the use of health information technology (IT).
In a PCMH practice, patients have access to a care coordinator to manage care for those with chronic illnesses. Each patient in the network has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician who leads their team at a single location. Electronic monitoring is used to ensure that sound, preventive care is provided.
The URMC's primary care network has been nationally certified at the highest level (Level 3 NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home) for offering a new model of care. This certification illustrates the medical center's commitment to reshaping and improving how health care is delivered to patients in the Rochester area.
The hallmarks of a PCMH practice include the ability to make appointments the same day or the day after they are requested, providing patients with quick access to their healthcare providers. The emphasis in a PCMH practice is on proactive, patient-centered care, as stated by Betty Rabinowitz, M.D., medical director for the Center for Primary Care at URMC.
In 2011, URMC added 23 RNs as care managers and 19 data coordinators to its primary care network. The medical center's Center for Primary Care is led by Wallace E. Johnson, M.D., the Ralph W. Prince Professor of Medicine. Johnson is also the associate chair for Primary Care at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
The NCQA PCMH model offers a nationally recognized, advanced primary care model focusing on coordinated, patient-centered, and quality-driven care delivered by multidisciplinary teams. This model, when implemented effectively, has been associated with better health outcomes, improved health equity, and lower costs for both patients and health centers due to optimized resource use and reduced unnecessary healthcare usage.
[1] NCQA. (n.d.). What is a PCMH? Retrieved from https://www.ncqa.org/programs/pcp/what-is-pcmh/ [2] University of Rochester Medical Center. (n.d.). Patient-Centered Medical Home. Retrieved from https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/en/services/primary-care/patient-centered-medical-home.aspx
- The University of Rochester Medical Center's implementation of the NCQA's Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model focuses on comprehensive care management for medical-conditions and chronic-diseases, ensuring improved health-and-wellness outcomes for patients.
- In a PCMH practice at URMC, health information technology is used to provide preventive care, coordinate patient care, and improve health equity, particularly for those dealing with chronic illnesses and multiple medical-conditions.
