Patient Centered Medical Home

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.

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. AAFP has also put together a PCMH checklist PDF to see how your practice stacks up in four categores: Quality measures, patient experience, health information technology and practice organization: click here to download this list. 

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.

TransforMED
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.

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