MEDIA RELEASE

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has announced that Bay Clinic, Inc. has been awarded the highly coveted designation of a Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) by the NCQA. This is the highest level attainable by a medical practice.

PCMH recognition affirms that a primary care practice provides an exceptionally high level of quality, team-based, patient-focused care.

Of the 14 community health centers in the state, only three, including Bay Clinic, have attained NCQA-PCMH Level 3 recognition. With this accomplishment, Bay Clinic becomes the first community health center in the state to receive multi-site NCQA-PCMH Level 3 recognition.

The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients’ experience of care and reduce costs. Medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians, instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient’s care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system.

“NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology and coordinated care focused on patients,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Recognition shows that Bay Clinic, Inc. has the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time.”

To earn this prestigious recognition, which is valid for three years, Bay Clinic’s three participating sites — Hilo Family Health Center, Keaau Family Health and Dental Center, and the Pahoa Family Health Center — met strenuous criteria in key must-pass categories embodying characteristics of the medical home.

“This award is the result of three years of hard work to re-align our operations and organizational structure to place our patients at the center of high quality coordinated care,” said Harold Wallace, Bay Clinic CEO. “We are very proud of our providers and staff for their willingness to be innovative, their dedication to providing the best care for our patients, and their commitment to making this happen,” said Wallace.

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Bay Clinic receives $15,253 award

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell has announced $36.3 million in Affordable Care Act funding to health centers across the nation in recognition of quality improvement achievements and to invest in ongoing quality improvement activities.

The health centers receiving awards are proven leaders in areas such as chronic disease management, preventive care and the use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to report quality data.

These health centers are being recognized for high levels of quality performance in one or more of the following four categories: 1) health center quality leaders; 2) national quality leaders; 3) clinical quality improvers; and 4) electronic health record reporters.

Bay Clinic received recognition and a $15,253 award under the ‘clinical quality improvers’ category. Clinical quality improvers are recognized if they demonstrated at least a 10 percent improvement in clinical quality measures between 2012 and 2013, showing a significant improvement in the health of the patients they serve.

“This funding rewards health centers that have a proven track record in clinical quality improvement, which translates to better patient care, and it allows them to expand and improve their systems and infrastructure to bring the highest quality primary care services to the communities they serve,” said Burwell. “With these funds, health centers in all 50 states will continue to provide access to high quality, comprehensive primary and preventive health care to the patients that need it the most.”

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AlohaCare donates $5,000 to Pahoa Family Health Center, Pahoa Women and Children’s Health Center

AlohaCare, Hawaii’s largest safety ­net Medicaid and Medicare plan, has donated $5,000 to Bay Clinic’s Pahoa Family Health Center and Pahoa Women and Children’s Health Center help ensure continued service delivery for the residents of lower Puna in the wake of the June 27th Lava Flow.

Pahoa Family Health Center and the Pahoa Women and Children’s Health Center, are two of the 9 clinics operated by Bay Clinic, Inc. Pahoa Family Health Center is ready to deploy a mobile health unit, staffed with physicians and other healthcare professionals, to meet the needs of residents who have been impacted by the lava flow.

“Although these residents may be cut off from seeing their physician or their pharmacy, we want to let them know they have not been forgotten,” said John McComas, AlohaCare chief executive officer. “We appreciate the rapid response and selfless concern demonstrated by these health centers, and this unrestricted donation is one of the ways we’re reaching out to support these healthcare professionals on the frontlines.”

“We appreciate the support and generosity of AlohaCare, especially at a challenging time like this,” said Harold Wallace, chief executive officer of Bay Clinic, Inc., Big Island’s largest non­profit Federally Qualified Health Center.

AlohaCare has made personal phone calls to the estimated 900 AlohaCare members affected by the Kilauea lava flow who live in Pahoa and Puna.

The health plan is directing them to the mobile clinics and urging them to seek the closest available pharmacy to obtain medications that may have been lost or need to be refilled.

Hawaii Island residents who are impacted by the lava flow and have questions about what their plan may cover during these circumstances may call AlohaCare toll free at 1-­800-­434-­1002.

AlohaCare is a local, non­profit health plan founded in 1994 by Hawaii’s Community Health Centers. AlohaCare is the third largest health plan in the state with about 60,000 health plan members. It partners with nearly 2,200 physicians, specialists and providers in the care of members. It has nearly 200 employees located in offices on Oahu and the neighbor islands.

Bay Clinic, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Federally Qualified Health Center with 180 employees in nione sites. Serving more than 21,000 patients, Bay Clinic is a community-directed healthcare organization that provides quality primary and preventive care services to the people of East Hawaii.

Bay Clinic will ensure that patient-centered, culturally responsive, and affordable healthcare services are locally accessible.

— Find out more:
www.bayclinic.org