MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has announced that the WVU Medicine Department of Family Medicine primary care clinic at the University Town Centre has received Level 3 NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition, the highest level possible, for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long‐term, participative relationships.
Shaylee Peckens, M.D., medical director for quality and performance improvement, and Rachelle Peklinsky, associate director of quality and care coordination, led a team of providers in primary care initiatives that would align with the NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home.
The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients’ experience of care, and reduce costs. Medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians, instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient’s care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the healthcare system. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.
“The NCQA recognition is a national achievement in quality care that affirms that WVU Family Medicine works continuously to improve the health of patients and partner with them in prevention,” Dana King, M.D., chair of Family Medicine said.
To earn recognition, which is valid for three years, the WVU Medicine Department of Family Medicine primary care clinic at the University Town Centre demonstrated the ability to meet the program’s key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards aligned with the joint principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Osteopathic Association.
WVU Medicine Family Medicine earned similar recognition in 2014.
“Each successful NCQA is further validation that our primary care teams have developed advanced competencies for the delivery of highest value for our patients,” Karen Fitzpatrick, M.D., assistant vice president and medical director of ambulatory quality said.
To find clinicians and their practices with NCQA PCMH Recognition, visit http://recognition.ncqa.org.
About NCQA
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of healthcare organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in healthcare. NCQA’s website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers, and others make more informed healthcare choices.