Katy Trail Receives National Recognition for Patient Centered Medical Home
Posted on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 at 11:24 am
Katy Trail Community Health was recently recognized as a patient-centered medical home. It is being recognized as a Level Three Patient Centered Medical Home by The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Katy Trail Community Health is the first in the West Central Missouri area to achieve this distinction. NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations including hospitals, clinics and insurance companies.
NCQA’s Level Three Recognition is the highest in the organization’s rating scale. To earn a Level Three designation, a practice must score high marks in NCQA’s nine elements of quality care. Some of the elements are: access and communication, patient self-management support, electronic prescribing, and advanced electronic communications.
Both Katy Trail Community Health clinics inSedaliaandWarsawwere recognized by NCQA. The Board of Directors of Katy Trail Community Health requested the clinics begin operating as patient centered medical homes in 2010. “We made this transition because it’s the best way to care for our patients,” said Pam Hirshberg, Chief Operation Officer, Katy Trail Community Health. “In the age of health care reform, it makes sense for us to implement these changes and to stop using a model of care that was in many ways outdated.”
The concept of a patient-centered medical home is focused around teamwork, quality care, chronic disease management and prevention. Instead of only treating a person when they are sick or injured, the medical home seeks to advise and educate to keep its patients healthy.
“Operating the clinics as medical homes has already shown an improvement in patients’ health,’ said Randal Hamric, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Katy Trail Community Health.
“Katy Trail Community Health is proud to receive recognition for its medical home at theSedaliaandWarsawlocations,” said Janet Canavese, Board of Directors, President, Katy Trail Community Health. “Since its launch, we have seen how the medical home model allows us to deliver on our promise of personalized care as we partner with the patient and customize their health care experience. The medical home model is healthcare that revolves around the patient.”
Katy Trail Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving west-centralMissouriwith comprehensive health, behavioral health and dental services. We accept all health insurance, Medicaid, Medicare and offer a sliding fee discount to eligible patients. KTCH is focused on improving the health for its patients as well as building healthy communities. Our mission is to be the health home for people living in West Central Missouri.
