The St. Joseph Heritage Medical Group concluded a yearlong journey recently when it achieved patient-centered medical home status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
“It was an onerous process,” said Charles Foster, vice president and administrator of the Orange, Calif.-based healthcare provider.
“When you’re first trying to ramp up to transform (to a medical home), you’re building infrastructure and the payment models may change,” said Michael S. Barr, MD, vice president of the Practice Advocacy and Improvement Division of Governmental Affairs & Public Policy for the American College of Physicians. “It can’t be too complicated of a system. Those similar to pay-for-performance might not work.”
St. Joseph deployed an electronic health record about five years ago.
“Without that enabler, much of this would not have been possible,” said Foster. “On the outset, we felt we were already doing a lot of what was required. A lot of it was pulling our information and teams together, collecting and using data with our multi-disciplinary team.”
St. Joseph officials said they decided to seek medical home status after the topic was featured in professional journals and publications and backed by primary care in general.
The application process to become a PCMH includes fees paid to the NCQA to obtain the guidelines and materials.
“When you’re doing work with the NCQA, they have very specific criteria to follow, so there’s proof in the pudding,” said Candice Moyer, director of Quality Management and Utilization Management. “But it’s somewhat of a tedious process. The hard work begins now. We see more of what we want to improve.”
According to Barr, good data on larger systems that have transitioned to a medical home model are only just becoming available.
Foster said the medical home designation compels his practice to consistently question their processes and performance.
“We have to confront real truths in the name of patient care,” he said.
St. Joseph officials say they aren’t yet sure of the financial implications, but have seen more efficient, coordinated and cost effective care since the transition. They also believe its PCMH status is a selling point for patients.
“I think medical homes will start getting bigger,” said Moyer. “It’s a buzzword, but what we have is the real thing.”