Preparing for a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) audit can seem daunting, but with the right approach, it doesn't have to be. This guide aims to demystify the process and offer practical advice for healthcare administrators, PCMH participants and medical practices. Focusing on DataGen's Medical Practice Consulting services , we'll show you how to streamline annual reporting to ensure core criteria are consistently met in your workflow, so you can focus on coordinated care management and quality improvement within your care team or healthcare system.  Understanding the PCMH audit  PCMH annual reporting is essential for maintaining the integrity, effectiveness and recognition for the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) PCMH model . Each year, practices submit requirements to renew their recognition, showcasing a small portion of documentation across six concept areas. However, a PCMH audit requires a more comprehensive review. About 5% of annual reporters ar...

Health equity isn’t a one-size approach  The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the crucial connection between Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and patient outcomes. Addressing medical and behavioral health needs requires a comprehensive understanding of a patient’s social context.   Effective interventions and care plans must meet patients "where they are," and one-size-fits-all approaches fail to address diverse vulnerabilities and needs.  For healthcare organizations looking to begin or enhance their equity initiatives, the National Committee for Quality Assurance's (NCQA's) Health Equity Accreditation (HEA) is an excellent starting point. HEA is a comprehensive framework that aligns with many other recognized programs, such as those from the Joint Commission and CMS, providing a holistic approach to advancing health equity. It aims to improve the quality of care and patient experience within the United States.  3 Reasons why NCQA HEA is the perfect starting ...

First off, congratulations to you and your practice for achieving National Committee for Quality Assurance Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition! Gaining NCQA PCMH status is a big accomplishment for which you should be very proud. Now that you’ve completed the necessary steps to implement changes and earn recognition, you may be wondering what’s next. In this guide, we’ll navigate what to do next, PCMH standards and guidelines to follow and 2024 annual reporting requirements to focus on. Let’s get into it! What to do after earning NCQA PCMH recognition Before you’re ready to start earning the great benefits of PCMH recognition , you need to plan what actions you’ll take to maintain your status. Remember, PCMH is not a project, but a continual progression of the way care is delivered to patients, meeting them where they are. So, if you’re a practice that wishes to keep its PCMH, you’ll need to be accountable for each criterion you achieved when initially receiving PCMH recognition. ...

The National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Patient-Centered Medical Home model advances high-quality, cost-effective care, but practices must be vigilant to earn and maintain their PCMH Recognition. Staff members, technology tools and workflows can change, and practices need to adopt criteria from new standards and guidelines. Mandi Diamond, PCMH CCE, senior advisor of Practice Advancement Strategies at DataGen, offers five key capabilities to support PCMH Recognition. 1. Build a true team culture. Does everyone in the practice understand what they do and why? Is that understanding clear, and is it reinforced? Practice leadership may assume yes when the answer is often no. Diamond terms this “doing things TO a team versus WITH a team.” To avoid this: Share knowledge. A lone individual cannot be the sole source of expertise, and single points of failure create crises in teams. Disrupt silos. Ongoing communication delivered in multiple formats that bridge clinical and clerical team...