Patient Centered. Focused on you.
Medical Home. Your primary care physician’s office is your “medical home.”
When it comes to health care, those are important words. Today’s primary care is focused on you. It offers the kind of care you want and need. In fact, Lake Health wants you to know that 12 Lake Health Physician Group primary care practices, four Lake Health Physician Group pediatric practices and two independent primary care practices are Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) certified. That means they meet special standards set by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
“Patient centered care is focused on the patient, family and/or caregiver and includes care across the lifelong continuum,” says ambulatory quality and diabetes education coordinator Kellie Slusher, BSN, MSN. “It allows for the collaboration of all disciplines to be able to provide superior care.”
Here’s what PCMH care means for you and your family:
Coordinated, comprehensive care
If you’re healthy, PCMH practices provide preventive care to keep you that way and wellness care to improve your health. If you have a chronic illness, such as diabetes or heart disease, PCMH providers help you manage that condition and get you the specialty care you need quickly. They have care managers and diabetes educators who help patients identify and manage risk factors and issues. They mobilize resources and schedule tests and appointments. They even follow up to ensure patients have the medications and health care equipment they need and are caring for themselves properly. They make sure everyone is working together…and with you. PCMH offices work with a team of providers and work as a team to oversee and coordinate your total health care.
Patient-centered
PCMH offices know, respect, support and include you as part of the team because it’s your health! They want you to come away from an appointment or a conversation about your health with a positive feeling about the care you received and feeling empowered to be healthier.
Communication and accessibility
PCMH offices build clear and open communication connecting the patient, family, various medical care facilities, community support services and the entire care team. That communication gets you the care you need when you need it. They offer same-day appointments and extended hours, timely call-backs, email messaging, and telephone and virtual visits. Need advice after hours? Health care representatives are available 24/7 to answer patient questions.
Quality and safety
PCMH offices are committed to evidence-based, high-quality care, safety, quality improvement and patient satisfaction. Even before these primary care practices were first PCMH certified in 2014, they were focused on you and committed to being your medical “home.”
For a referral to any Lake Health primary care physician or specialist, call the Best of Health Line at 1-800-454-9800 or browse our physician search.
