A Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is simply a better way — a more effective and efficient model of health care delivery wherein a practice is transformed into a new model, producing better care and lowering costs.

In a Patient-Centered Medical Home:

• Patients develop a long-term relationship with a personal primary care physician.
• A practice-based care team takes collective responsibility for a patient’s ongoing care.
• The care team is responsible for providing or arranging all a patient’s healthcare needs.
• Patients can expect care that is coordinated across care settings and disciplines.
• Quality is measured and improved as part of daily workflow.
• Patients experience enhanced access and communication.
• The practice uses electronic health records, registries and other clinical support systems.

It’s time. Solid evidence supports the premise of the Patient-Centered Medical Home:

• Better health outcomes
• Lower total costs
• Higher physician, staff and patient satisfaction

Physicians, payers and patients are aligned behind the concept of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative as they face a healthcare system that rewards high volume, over-specialized and inefficient care. Legislators, employers, and patients are looking for better value in healthcare, which includes better coordination and convenience as well as better quality at lower cost.

You can easily find out where you stand by taking the Medical Home IQ and measuring your practice against the TransforMED Assessment’s eight core sets of competencies or modules.

Benchmark your practice’s current performance with this online tool. Answer questions and get your current score in each of the eight areas, along with recommendations for improvements.

• Improved patient care and satisfaction.
• Enhanced payment in a fee-for-service and pay-for-performance environment.
• Better-organized and more efficient office processes.
• Higher physician and staff satisfaction.
• Improved patient outcomes
• Lower overall healthcare cost

Start the journey by exploring the numerous resources available to you (many free) through the AAFP and its wholly owned subsidiary, TransforMED.

Read about the Patient-Centered Medical Home pilots taking place around the country.

Take the MHIQ and compare your answers to the NCQA PPCPCMH^TM Standards—a national recognition program based on the PCMH model. Also look at the “Road to Recognition”standards provided by the NCQA.