Categorized | Health

Kaiser clinics earn highest level recognition

MEDIA RELEASE

Kaiser Permanente has announced all 16 of its primary care clinics in Hawaii, and their primary care providers, have received the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Physician Practice ConnectionsR (PPC) Patient-Centered Medical HomeTM (PCMH) Recognition at Level 3, the highest level, for its integrated and coordinated care delivery system, which supports quality, access, continuity of care, and better patient involvement.

With this accomplishment, Kaiser Permanente becomes the first multi-site PCMH health care organization in Hawaii to be recognized by NCQA.

“Accrediting organizations across the country like NCQA recognize that physician-led health care teams – partnering and communicating across facilities and settings – can help to coordinate care much better, support patients in a more meaningful way, and continuously improve quality and service,” said Geoffrey Sewell, MD, FACP, President and Executive Medical Director of the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group.

“While the concept of PCMH may be new to others, Kaiser Permanente has embraced this integrated approach to providing comprehensive care to our patients and members for more than 50 years,” Sewell said.

PCMH is a model of care that seeks to strengthen physician-patient interaction with coordinated care and a long-term healing relationship. This coordinated approach is lead by a patient’s primary care provider, but also enlists the skills and knowledge of a team of health care professionals from nurses and nutritionists to specialists and pharmacists.

The delivery of care is facilitated by information technology, electronic health records, and system-best practices to assure patients receive care when and where they need it, and when and where they want it.

PCMH is gaining acceptance nationally as a best-practice method of care delivery and is a promising tool for successful health care reform implementation.

The model encourages measurable quality and prevention by focusing on outcomes rather than volume. Research shows that integrated care is capable of improving clinical outcomes, expanding access to care outside of the usual office setting, improving patient and staff satisfaction, and reducing health care costs.

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