RMS Healthcare was the lead consultant in helping Summerwood Pediatrics to receive recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Physician Practice Connections-Patient Centered Medical Home (PPC®-PCMH™) program.

“The patient-centered medical home promises to improve health and health care,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “The active, ongoing relationship between a patient and a clinician in medical homes fosters an all-too-rare goal in care: staying healthy and preventing illness in the first place. PPC-PCMH Recognition shows that Summerwood has the tools, systems and resources to provide patients with the right care at the right time.”

Working with RMS Healthcare who specializes as a healthcare transformations services consultant, Summerwood is the first pediatric practice in Onondaga County to receive PPC-PCMH recognition. Summerwood has practices in Camillus and Liverpool.  RMS Healthcare assists practices across the country in navigating the PPC-PCMH Recognition process. Since launching the assistance program in 2010, RMS Healthcare has assisted more than 50 practices in achieving recognition.

“We have demonstrated and proven success in our work assisting practices to achieve the highest level of recognition and experience in working with various Electronic Medical Record and Patient Registry platforms,” said Susan Maxsween, RMS Healthcare’s Practice Transformation Manager. “We also have proven success in working with practices remotely, assisting practices to achieve recognition through teleconferencing and webinar sessions as well as face-to-face meetings.”

To receive recognition, which is valid for three years, Summerwood demonstrated the ability to meet the program’s key elements embodying characteristics of the medical home. The standards are aligned with the joint principles of the PCMH established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association.

With the help of RMS Healthcare, Summerwood met key program components in the following areas:

• Written standards for patient access and enhanced communications
• Appropriate use of charting tools to track patients and organize clinical information
• Responsive care management techniques with an emphasis on preventive care
• Adaptation to patient’s cultural and linguistic needs
• Use of information technology for prescriptions and care management
• Use of evidence-based guidelines to treat chronic conditions
• Systematic tracking of referrals and test results
• Measurement and reporting of clinical and service performance

Early evaluations of the PPC-PCMH have shown promising results in improving care quality and lowering costs by increasing access to more efficient, more coordinated care. By avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency room visits, these early results are producing savings for payers, purchasers and patients.

For more information about PPC-PCMH Recognition, contact Susan Maxsween at SusanM@RMSresults.com or call (315) 635-9802. To find primary care medical practices and clinicians affiliated with practice sites that have been recognized by the PPC-PCMH program, visit recognition.ncqa.org. Research & Marketing Strategies (RMS) is a full service marketing and market research firm located in Upstate NY. RMS Healthcare, a division of RMS, offers focused, health care specific consulting and research services including practice transformation services.