Five Rivers Health Centers recognized

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has announced that four locations of Five Rivers Health Centers in Dayton, Ohio, have received notice for their approval to renew NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition. The centers received the highest level recognition (Level III) for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term, participative relationships.

Five Rivers Health Centers’ Samaritan Homeless Clinic, Pediatrics Center, Family Health Center and Medical/ Surgical Health Center earned the PCMH Level III recognition, placing them among an elite group of practices in the nation that have demonstrated commitment to advancing quality in health 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 medical homes can lead to higher quality, lower costs, and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.

To earn recognition, which is valid for three years, these four locations of Five Rivers Health Centers demonstrated the ability to meet the program’s key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards align 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.