BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- After nearly a year of hard work, the Baumholder Army Health Clinic has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as an Army Patient Centered Medical Home.
PCMH is a team approach to healthcare. In a PCMH, Patients are partnered with a team of healthcare professionals which includes their Primary Care Provider, Registered Nurse, Licensed Practice Nurse and Medic. Together over time, the Patient and their health care team, work to treat illness and injuries, promote healthy living and manage ongoing healthcare issues.
"The Patient-Centered Medical Home raises the bar in defining high-quality healthcare as an outcome of a systematic and procedural focus on access-to-care or the ability of a beneficiary to obtain an appointment, quality of care, and physician driven continuity of care -- the ability of a patient to see 'their' provider," said Lt. Col. Steven Hankins, Baumholder AHC commander. "NCQA recognition is a validation that U.S. Army Health Clinic-Baumholder has the resources, tools and systems in place to provide our patients the right care at the right time and at the right place."
The NCQA is a non-profit organization that measures the ability of medical facilities to provide quality healthcare through standardized, objective measurement guidelines. NCQA requires recognized facilities to enhance access to care and patients' continuity with their provider teams, keep track of patient data to help manage patients' wellbeing, plan and manage care using evidence-based practices, provide self-care support and community resources, as well as track and coordinate tests, referrals and other care for patients. Finally, clinics have to show that they measure their performance and patients' feedback to continue improving the quality of care.
"A tremendous amount of work and effort went into obtaining NCQA certification. It is estimated that well over 1,000 work-hours were utilized in gathering, analyzing, and preparing all data elements for submission and review," Hankins said. "The entirety of the process showed the tremendous amount of dedication and support that the clinic staff has for our patients, our mission, and Army Medicine in Europe. This effort has ensured that our most valued stakeholders, our patients, will receive the quality healthcare that they have earned and deserve."
Here's what patients can expect from the Baumholder Army Health Clinic Medical Home:
• A personal provider. Each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal Physician, Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner who is trained to provide first contact, continuous and comprehensive care.
• Physician directed medical practice. The personal physician leads a team(s) of individuals at the practice level who collectively take responsibility for ongoing patient care.
• Whole person orientation. The personal provider is responsible for providing all of the patient's health care needs or for arranging care with other qualified professionals.
• Coordinated and Integrated Care. Each patient's care is coordinated and integrated across all elements of the health care system and the patient's community.
• Quality and Safety focus: All members of the healthcare team are focused on ensuring high quality care in the medical home.
• Improved access: In the PCMH, enhanced access to care options are available through open scheduling, same day appointments, secure messaging, and other innovative options for communication between patients, their personal physician and practice staff.
"To gain recognition, which is valid for three years, U.S. Army Health Clinic-Baumholder demonstrated the ability to meet the NCQA's key medical home elements and criteria," Hankins explained. "The standards are aligned under agreed upon joint principles established in collaboration with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association."
With the certification of Baumholder AHC and Vicenza Army Health Center, Italy, as Patient Centered Medical Homes, all Europe Regional Medical Command primary care facilities have achieved NCQA recognition and transformed to the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care. The transition to the PCMH model of care is part of Army Medicine's overall shift from a health care system to a system for health.
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