Three Ministry Medical Group clinics receive national medical home recognition
Ministry Medical Group clinics in Weston, Rib Mountain and Merrill have received national recognition for their medical home models by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). They have received Level 3 Physician Practice Connections® – Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition (PPC-PCMH™).
NCQA recognizes primary care practices that function as patient-centered medical homes, a model of care where each patient is at the center of his/her care and has an ongoing relationship with a personal provider who leads a team that takes collective responsibility for patient care.
Ministry Medical Group launched three medical home pilot sites in 2011. Since then, other clinics have begun transitioning to medical homes. Ministry’s medical home teams consist of physicians partnered with advanced practice providers (APNPs or PAs), RN case managers who coordinate chronic disease management, patient service representatives, health care associates (CMAs or LPNs) and a behavioral health specialist.
“This certification is a significant milestone for us,” said Jennifer Rhea, Director of Clinic Operations for Ministry Medical Group. “Lots of hard work has been accomplished by our staff at each of our sites. Our common goal is to not only meet the requirements for certification but to exceed them as a part of our ongoing work in making the health care experience the best it can be for our patients.”
Some of the areas PPC-PCMH measure include patient tracking and registry functions; access and communication; care management; patient self-management support; electronic prescribing; test tracking; referral tracking; performance reporting and improvement, and advanced electronic communications.
NCQA is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to assessing and reporting on the quality of managed care plans, managed behavioral health care organizations, preferred provider organizations, new health plans, physician organizations, credentials verification organizations, disease management programs and other health-related programs. There are nine PPC® standards, including 10 must-pass elements, which can result in one of three levels of recognition. Level three represents the highest level of recognition.