The following blog post was written by Karen Joncas, a Healthcare Transformation Coordinator at RMS.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has announced that it is redesigning the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition process to better engage practices in an ongoing assessment of compliance with PCMH standards.
Four key goals of the newly redesigned PCMH program will be to:
- Strengthen the link between recognition and practice performance;
- Align PCMH recognition activities with other reporting requirements;
- Leverage the practices’ investment in health information technology; and
- Increase practice engagement while reducing non-value added work.
Under consideration for the redesign are:
- Engaging practices in an annual “check-in,” rather than submitting documentation every three years, including a demonstration of how the standards are integrated into every day practice culture and how they continue to enhance their patient-centered approach to care;
- Reducing the documentation burden by introducing opportunities for virtual demonstration of processes and using information generated in the course of patient care to support alignment with the standards; and
- Offering education and guidance to practices undergoing the transformation process including live support, enhanced on-line resources, and improved customer service
Organizations which have pursued PCMH Recognition understand first-hand how this recognition has directly contributed to improved patient care. Practices that have experience with the PCMH Recognition process and have worked directly with NCQA are encouraged to reach out to NCQA to provide thoughts, ideas, and pertinent questions that will facilitate a successful launch of the new review platform. If you are engaged currently or have been involved in the recognition journey, visit the NCQA website and/or email NCQA at ideas4pcmh@ncqa.org. If you would like to be regularly informed of upcoming changes, you should consider enrolling in NCQA’s subscription center here.
RMS Healthcare, a division of Research and Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS) has over 50 years of collective and proven experience in providing consulting services to meet the specific needs of our clients. Regardless of your healthcare research or practice transformation needs, RMS Healthcare can help. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Susan Maxsween, Senior Director, Healthcare Operations and Compliance SusanM@rmsresults.com or at 1-866-567-5422.
