Katie Henley, Senior Program Manager of Workforce Development

On Thursday, ten CHCACT staff members participated in a training led by Qualidigm on the 2017 National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) standards.

What is PCMH?

The patient-centered medical home is a model of care that puts patients in the center of their care, with enhanced communication between the patients and their providers. Research shows that practices that operate as PCMHs demonstrate improved health outcomes, as well as more satisfied patients and staff — all while reducing health care costs. Health care practices that earn PCMH recognition are committed to continuous quality improvement and a patient-centered approach to care. PCMH standards are updated every few years.

What does PCMH have to do with health centers?

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the federal agency that funds health centers, has encouraged health centers to seek PCMH accreditation for many years. All of the CT health centers have achieved PCMH recognition through either NCQA or through the Joint Commission; four of the health centers have even accomplished both!

What’s CHCACT’s role?

CHCACT works with CT’s health centers on clinical, administrative, and financial operations, including helping to transform the way care is provided. Having CHCACT staff educated about PCMH standards improves our ability to provide training and technical assistance to the health centers. It also allows CHCACT to align our work internally, to be sure we are prioritizing the right types of trainings – all with the goals of improved quality and patient experience in mind. If you have any questions about CHCACT’s PCMH work, please reach out to our Senior Director of Clinical Programs, Marlene Moranino.