July 5, 2016 - El Camino Hospital’s Senior Health Program at Silicon Valley Primary Care has again received National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition 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. 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 El Camino Hospital’s Senior Health Program has the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time.”
The Senior Health Program at Silicon Valley Primary Care offers services designed specifically for senior’s comfort, care and convenience. An on-site multidisciplinary care team — including nutritionists, social workers, pharmacists and registered nurses — provides preventive screenings, routine physicals and referrals to specialists, as well as a full range of services available through El Camino Hospital. The program also provides linkages to a variety of resources including the Health Library & Resource Center, transportation services, an in-home emergency response system and more.
“El Camino Hospital is dedicated to providing personalized healthcare services for seniors across the continuum of care from wellness and prevention to acute care and recovery,” said Tomi Ryba, President & CEO of El Camino Hospital. “Our Senior Health Program offers many amenities, including same-day appointments and an online patient portal, and resources to help ensure patients have access to comprehensive services and their medical team.”
To earn recognition, which is valid for three years, the Senior Health Program 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.
What does this mean for our patients?
A patient of the Senior Health Program receives care from a primary care doctor who coordinates care among all other healthcare providers, from tracking referrals and lab reports to providing the resources needed after returning home from the hospital or a skilled nursing facility. Same-day appointments and easy online access to messaging, prescription-refill requests and more make it easier for a patient to access care. The Senior Health Program combines that latest medical thinking, the latest treatments and the latest technology to provide patients with the best possible care delivered in the most personal way possible.
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.
About El Camino Hospital
El Camino Hospital is an acute-care, 443-bed, nonprofit and locally governed organization with campuses in Mountain View and Los Gatos, California. Key medical specialties include cancer, heart and vascular, men’s health, mental health, neuroscience, orthopedic and spine, senior health, urology, and the first Women's Hospital in Northern California. The hospital is recognized as a national leader in the use of health information technology and wireless communications, and has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center as well as three consecutive ANCC Magnet Recognitions for Nursing Care.