The National Committee for Quality Assurance announced that Grinnell Regional Family Care, Grinnell, has received the NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Level 3 Recognition. Clinic providers Roy Doorenbos, MD; Michelle Rebelsky, MD, FAAFP; Jacob Boyer, PA-C; Kristin Phelps, PA-C; and Katelyn Van Wyk, PA-C, earned this distinction for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long‐term, participative relationships.

“The care team at GRFP worked for 15 months to implement the processes to earn this designation for high-quality care,” says Kristin Phelps, PA-C, provider lead for the patient-centered medical home recognition. “We all want to give our patients the best care and experience possible. This NCQA program lets patients know that we have proven our processes and are committed to their care.”

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. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.

“NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology, and coordinated GRMC 5/26/2017 care focused on patients,” says NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Recognition shows that Grinnell Regional Family Practice has the tools, systems, and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time. The Level 3 meets the highest quality standard in the program.”

To earn recognition, which is valid for three years, Grinnell Regional Family Practice demonstrated the ability to meet the program’s key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards aligned with the joint principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Osteopathic Association.

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of healthcare organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS ® ) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s Web site (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers, and others make more informed health care choices.