LOWELL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR PATIENT-CENTERED CARE
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced that Lowell Community Health Center has received the highest level, Level 3, of recognition from the NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) program for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term relationships.
The patient-centered medical home is a model of care emphasizing care coordination and communication to transform primary care into what patients want it to be. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve patients’ and providers’ reported experiences of care. The NCQA PCMH Recognition program identifies health care organizations that promote partnerships between individual patients and their personal medical providers, rather than treating patient care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient’s care is delivered by clinician-led care teams that provide all health care needs and coordinate treatment across the health care system. Medical home clinicians demonstrate the benchmarks of patient-centered care, including open scheduling, expanded hours and appropriate use of proven health information systems.
“The patient-centered medical home raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology, and partnerships between clinicians and patients,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “PCMH Recognition...
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