FLASH: Patient-Centered Medical Homes: A Different Approach to Primary Care

A patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a care model that focuses on aligning a care plan more closely with the specific needs of a patient. PCMHs:

• Emphasize care coordination and communication
• Deliver primary care focused on the whole person
• Partner with patients and families by understanding and respecting culture, unique needs, preferences, and values

PCMHs have many benefits to both patients and providers. They:

• Can lead to higher quality and lower costs
• Can improve patients’ and providers’ experience of care
• Coordinate patient care across all elements of the health care system, like specialty care, hospitals, home health care, and community services, with an emphasis on efficient care transitions
• Seek to make primary care accessible through minimizing wait times, enhanced office hours, and after-hours access to providers through alternative methods, like phone or email

The NCQA’s PCMH Recognition program is the most widely adopted model for transforming primary care practices into medical homes. The program is being redesigned and will launch March 31, 2017. It includes ongoing, sustained recognition status with annual check-ins and reporting.

The NCQA provides helpful information about PCMHs, including steps a practice needs to take to become a PCMH. We encourage primary care practices to look into becoming PCMHs, as it can lead to higher-quality, more coordinated care for your patients and our members.