The Patient Centered Medical Home

What is PCMH?

A Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is simply a better way – a more effective and efficient model of health care delivery. This new model produces better care and lower costs.

 

In a Patient Centered Medical Home:

  • Patients have a relationship with a personal primary care physician.
  • A practice-based care team takes collective responsibility for the patient’s ongoing care.
  • The care team is responsible for providing or arranging all the patient’s health care needs.
  • Patients can expect care that is coordinated across care settings and disciplines.
  • Quality is measured and improved as part of daily work flow.
  • Patients experience enhanced access and communication.
  • The practice uses electronic health records, registries, and other clinical support systems.

 

 

The patient-centered medical home is a health care delivery model based on the relationship between a patient and their personal primary care physician. With its growing popularity in the health care reform discussion, LAFP provides you with tools to educate yourself, your colleagues and your patients on the medical home.

 

Am I a PCMH?

You can easily find out where you stand by taking the Medical Home IQ and measuring your practice against the TransforMED MHIQ Assessment’s eight core sets of competencies or modules.  Benchmark your practice’s current performance with this online tool. Answer questions and get your current score in each of the eight areas, along with recommendations for improvements.

 

How do I become a PCMH?

Start the journey by exploring the many resources available to you (many free) through the AAFP and its wholly owned subsidiary, TransforMED.

 

Evaluate your practice with AAFP’s Patient-Centered Medical Home Checklist

Are you building a patient-centered medical home? Use AAFP’s two-page PCMH Checklist to see how your practice stacks up in four categories: quality measures, patient experience, health information technology and practice organization. Go to the medical home section of www.aafp.org to download the PDF.

 
Read about the Patient Centered Medical Home pilots taking place around the country.

 

Take the MHIQ and compare your answers to the NCQA PPCPCMH™ Standards — a national recognition program based on the Patient Centered Medical Home.

 

TransforMED launches informative online video on the medical home  

AAFP subsidiary TransforMED, with Emmi Solutions and the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative, has launched a nationwide initiative to educate patients about what it means to be part of a patient-centered medical home. Through a Web-based educational video, free for all primary care practices to view and download, patients will more wholly understand the value of the patient-centered medical home and be encouraged to become more engaged in their health care partnership with their primary care physician.

 

By visiting the TransforMED Web site, patients can view the informative video on all the parts and benefits of the patient-centered medical home. At the end of the video, viewers have the option to read more about the medical home on the PCPCC Web site, take a survey testing their knowledge on the medical home or share the video via e-mail or instant message with a friend.

 

Click Here to Watch Video Presentation or go to www.transformed.com to download the video.

 

View an instructional AAFP PowerPoint presentation on the Medical Home

AAFP has created an informative PowerPoint presentation physicians can use to educate stakeholders on the patient-centered medical home. It even includes notes on many slides containing talking points and helpful hints. Access the presentation here.

 

Visit these sites for more information on the Patient Centered Medical Home:

American Academy of Family Physicians

TransforMED

MedicalHomeForAll.com

NCQA Recognition

The Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative