Christiana Care Health System Earns National Recognition for Patient-Centered Care

Physician Practice Connections®—Patient-Centered Medical Home™ emphasize enhanced care

WILMINGTON, Del., May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Christiana Care Health System announces its Department of Family and Community Medicine has been awarded Physician Practice Connections—Patient-Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH) recognition for using patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term patient doctor interactive relationships.  The Department's Family Medicine Center is the first practice in Delaware to achieve this designation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).  

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The Patient-Centered Medical Home is a promising model of health care delivery improving the quality and efficiency of care and The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) awards this designation.  PPC-PCMH identifies physician practices that promote partnerships between individual patients and their personal clinicians. Each patient's care is provided by clinician-led care teams, who coordinate treatment and care across the health care system. Medical home clinicians demonstrate patient-centered care through open scheduling, expanded hours and appropriate use of proven health information systems.

"The Family Medicine Center at Foulk Road and The Family Medicine Center at the Annex on the Wilmington Hospital Campus are dedicated to an active, ongoing relationship between patients and physicians,"  said Dr. Margot Savoy, Medical Director of the Family Medicine Center Practices.  "Our goal is to help patients stay healthy and prevent illness in the first place."

"The patient-centered medical home promises to improve health and health care," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "PPC-PCMH Recognition shows that The Family Medicine Center has the tools, systems and resources to provide their patients with the right care at the right time."

Early evaluations of 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 and using evidence-based treatment guidelines, these early results are producing savings for patients, providers and payers.

To earn recognition, The Family Medicine Centers 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 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. 

The Family Medicine Centers met key program components including:

• 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

About Christiana Care - Christiana Care Health System is one of the country's largest health care providers, serving more than 600,000 patients yearly. A not-for-profit teaching hospital affiliated with Thomas Jefferson Medical College, Christiana Care includes two hospitals with 1,100 patient beds, a home health care service, preventive medicine, rehabilitation services, a network of primary care physicians and an extensive range of outpatient services. Find more information at www.christianacare.org.

About NCQA - NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.  NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers. For more information, please visit http://recognition.ncqa.org.

SOURCE Christiana Care Health System