Experiencing a mental health crisis? Contact Mass Behavioral Health Line:

Financial assistance, food pantries, and other free or reduced-cost help:

News

Family Health Center of Worcester Earns National Recognition for Patient-Centered Care

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
NCQA: Andy Reynolds (202) 955-3518 or Matt Brock (202) 955-1739
FHCW: Frances Anthes (508) 860-7975

NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home™ standards emphasize enhanced care through patient-clinician partnership

WASHINGTON, DC—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced that Family Health Center of Worcester in Worcester, MA has received NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition, at Level 3, the highest level, for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long‐term, participative relationships.

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 care focused on patients,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Recognition shows that Family Health Center of Worcester has the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time.”

“We are proud to be recognized for providing the highest level of patient-centered care,” said Frances M. Anthes, President and CEO of Family Health Center of Worcester. “We put our patients at the forefront of the comprehensive, high-quality, culturally competent health care we provide.”

To earn recognition, Family Health Center of Worcester 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.

To find clinicians and their practices with NCQA PCMH Recognition, visit http://recognition.ncqa.org.

About Family Health Center of Worcester

Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. is a Joint Commission Accredited, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Recognized Level-3 Patient-Centered Medical Home that provides high quality, comprehensive, culturally competent, patient-centered primary medical care, dental care, behavioral health services, vision services, urgent/ walk-in care, refugee health services, Healthcare for Homeless Families program, HIV/AIDS integrated care program, O/B prenatal care and delivery program, pharmacy, lab, radiology, outpatient Suboxone treatment, Centering Pregnancy group prenatal care, Baby Café to support new mothers, Women Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program for the region, teen health services, and school-based health services in the Worcester and Webster Public Schools. For more information, visit www.FHCW.org, or connect with us on Facebook.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care 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.

###

Press Release

NCQA