SPECIAL GUEST COLUMNIST
By Abigail DeVries, MD, Medical Director for Piedmont Health Services
When you mention health-care advances, people might think of new kinds of medicine, or perhaps some technological breakthrough. But at Piedmont Health, an important innovation that we are implementing involves a concept that almost sounds old-fashioned – establishing patient-centered medical homes.
A “patient-centered medical home (PCMH)” is a place where patients receive their regular health care – straightforward enough, but it is not a term a health facility can just start calling itself. It is an official designation, given only after a number of conditions are met. These conditions include same-day access to medical services, continuity of care, coordination of external referrals, self-management goal setting, and continuous quality improvement, among other things.
The concept began in the early 2000’s in pediatrics. Generally speaking, a medical home delivers care through a team of health-care professionals working in a coordinated manner with the goal of achieving optimal patient outcomes. It’s an environment in which we work as a team, with the patient at the center.
Perhaps the approach is best understood by comparing it with the old model of health care. Under that model, the physician was at the top of the pyramid, directing everyone else, including the patient.
We have really moved forward with redrawing our care teams so that all of the staff is engaged, and all of the staff is taking ownership of the patient’s care. The goal is for the patient to feel that the whole team is working together to help them achieve the best health possible.
Piedmont Health has two community health centers – Charles Drew Community Health Center in Burlington and Prospect Hill Community Health Center in Caswell County – officially designated as medical homes. Both have Level 3 certification – the highest level – from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
The movement toward medical homes is the direction in which the health-care field is moving because it’s the best, most efficient way to provide care. By getting these designations, not only does the patient benefit, but Piedmont Health becomes eligible for enhanced payment from insurers and funders.
Piedmont began seeking official designation a couple of years ago. We are in the final stages of application for our six other community health centers and expect to receive a level 3 designation in the next several months.
I want to make it clear, however, that while medical homes are the wave of the future; they are not a completely new direction for us. Piedmont Health has provided patient-centered, coordinated, culturally competent care in its community health centers. Working towards PCMH designation has allowed us to enhance our workflows and place a renewed focus on the patient, while receiving credit for the work our staff has long done for patients.