Patient-centered medical home designation recognizes high quality care

Milwaukee, Wis. - Sixteen Aurora Health Care sites have achieved level 3 recognition – the highest level available – as patient-centered medical homes from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Clinics with patient-centered medical home status are recognized for providing coordinated and consistent care to patients.

Aurora was the first health system in Wisconsin to have a clinic receive this designation and now 51 have earned this status.

The following Aurora sites have recently earned this recognition:

• Aurora Senior Health and Longevity Center
• Aurora BayCare Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center - Pediatrics
• Aurora Health Center in Sturgeon Bay
• Aurora Health Center in Suamico
• Aurora Health Center in Racine
• Aurora Health Center in Lake Geneva
• Aurora Health Center in Cedar Grove
• Aurora BayCare Medical Center
• Aurora Health Center in Oshkosh
• Aurora Health Center in Manitowoc South
• Aurora Health Center in Manitowoc North
• Aurora Health Center in Fond du Lac
• Pediatrics at Aurora Health Center in Marinette-Menominee
• Aurora St. Luke’s Internal Medicine-Suite 135
• Aurora Health Center in Edgerton
• Aurora Health Center in North Fond du Lac

The patient-centered medical home recognition acknowledges a health care setting that facilitates partnerships between individual patients, their personal physicians, and when appropriate, the patient’s family.

Specifically, a medical home is a model of care where each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician who leads a team responsible for a patient’s care. The physician-led care team is responsible for providing every patient’s health care needs and coordinating care across the health care system.

A medical home also emphasizes enhanced care through open scheduling, expanded hours and communication between patients, physicians and staff.

The NCQA recognition is built on evidence-based, nationally recognized clinical standards of care. The patient-centered medical home standards emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care that supports access, communication and patient involvement.

There are very stringent criteria that must be met before a clinic receives the patient-centered medical designation from NCQA. Key elements of the evaluation include:

• Written standards for patient access and patient communication
• Use of data to show standards for patient access and communication are met
• Use of paper or electronic charting tools to organize clinical information
• Use of data to identify important diagnoses and conditions in practice
• Adoption and implementation of evidence-based guidelines for three chronic conditions
• Active patient self-management support
• Systematic tracking of test results and identification of abnormal results
• Referral tracking, using a paper or electronic system
• Clinical and/or service performance measurement, by physician or across the practice
• Performance reporting, by physician or across the practice

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas.

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve health care quality. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

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Contact: Phill Trewyn
Phone: 414-390-5500

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