Patient-Centered Medical Homes
The Patient-Centered Medical Home is an approach to providing comprehensive primary care for children, youth and adults that facilitates partnerships between patients their personal physicians, and when appropriate, the patient’s family. The American Academy of Pediatrics introduced the medical home concept in 1967, to refer to a child’s central medical record archive. In 2002 the medical home concept was expanded to include accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective care. Five years later, the American Academy of Pediatrics joined with the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians and the American Osteopathic Association to publish a joint set of principles on the patient-centered medical home. This consensus statement describes the principles of a medical home: personal physician, physician-directed medical practice, whole person orientation, coordinated care, quality and safety, enhanced access, and appropriate payment. The Joint Principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home have been endorsed by numerous specialty healthcare organizations.
What you should do
- Primary care providers may choose to become recognized by the National Committee on Quality Assurance as a Patient-Centered Medical Home.
- As a patient, you may wish to receive primary care services from a provider or a practice that has been recognized as a Patient-Centered Medical Home.
- Learn more about this recognition process and find out which primary care providers and practices in Rhode Island have received this recognition at this website: Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) - NCQA
What we do
- Support the Joint Principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home, and the values detailed in the American Academy of Pediatrics preamble
- Recognize that the principles represent an ideal practice model and objectives to work toward.
- Emphasize that the Patient-Centered Medical Home should include a family focus, interdisciplinary care, and the integration of mental health/behavioral health services and oral health services in the primary care system.
- Work with other partners to increase the number of primary care providers and practices that are recognized as Patient-Centered Medical Homes.
- Offer workforce training for to support the Patient-Centered Medical Home through:
- Certified Diabetes Outreach Educators
- Living Well Rhode Island
- Tomando Control de Su Salud
- Certified Asthma Educators
- Community Health Worker Association of Rhode Island