Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) has become a national cornerstone of healthcare reform and will continue to be the pathway to providing high-quality and well-coordinated healthcare within the primary care setting.  It is within this setting that a partnership is established between the patient and their primary care provider and, to the extent possible, the patient’s family is also engaged in care.  For the physician, providing patient centered medical care is the cornerstone of being a good physician.

According to NCQA, approximately 2,829 physician practices have achieved Patient Centered Medical Home Recognition nationwide under the NCQA PPC®-PCMH™ standards since December 2008.  Private and governmental payers have begun to incentivize practices and physicians to become Patient Centered Medical Homes through increased reimbursements for care delivered and rendered under this model.  The enhanced payments are aimed to incentivize the development of patient centered medical homes to improve health outcomes through better coordination and integration of patient care.  There is no question that the number of recognized practices will continue to grow.  The PPC-PCMH Recognition validates that a practice has committed to providing a level of patient care that seeks to strengthen the physician-patient partnership by promoting and improving access to care, coordination of care and enhanced patient engagement.

If you are at a practice and reading this post, chances are you find yourself in this familiar position:  You know that achieving PCMH Recognition is your priority.  You have purchased the NCQA PPC-PCMH survey tool (under the 2008 standards).  You know that you have to submit your application by the end of the year. You know that you are invested to become recognized. But you are not sure where to begin. Not to worry – helping you get started and guiding you through the steps is where RMS Healthcare can assist you.

So how do you attain Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition?

RMS Healthcare is committed to assisting practices achieve PPC-PCMH Recognition whether it be by year’s end (under the 2008 standards)  in completing your documentation submission  or by assisting practices to assess your readiness to change and to determine your practice’s infrastructure to achieve recognition under the 2011 standards. We are here to assist you on your practice transformation journey.  We have proven success in assisting practices achieve the highest level of recognition and have assisted practices with various different EMRs.

To learn more about RMS Healthcare, and how to attain Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition, contact Susan Maxsween at RMS through email (SusanM@RMSresults.com) or by phone (315-635-9802).  Susan would be happy to walk through any further questions about NCQA recognition, PCMH, or practice transformation.  Visit our website at www.RMSresults.com.