Milwaukee, Wis. - Sixteen Aurora Health Care sites have achieved level 3 recognition – the highest level available – as patient-centered medical homes from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Clinics with patient-centered medical home status are recognized for providing coordinated and consistent care to patients.
Aurora was the first health system in Wisconsin to have a clinic receive this designation and now 51 have earned this status.
The following Aurora sites have recently earned this recognition:
- Aurora Senior Health and Longevity Center
- Aurora BayCare Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center - Pediatrics
- Aurora Health Center in Sturgeon Bay
- Aurora Health Center in Suamico
- Aurora Health Center in Racine
- Aurora Health Center in Lake Geneva
- Aurora Health Center in Cedar Grove
- Aurora BayCare Medical Center
- Aurora Health Center in Oshkosh
- Aurora Health Center in Manitowoc South
- Aurora Health Center in Manitowoc North
- Aurora Health Center in Fond du Lac
- Pediatrics at Aurora Health Center in Marinette-Menominee
- Aurora St. Luke’s Internal Medicine-Suite 135
- Aurora Health Center in Edgerton
- Aurora Health Center in North Fond du Lac
The patient-centered medical home recognition acknowledges a health care setting that facilitates partnerships between individual patients, their personal physicians, and when appropriate, the patient’s family.
Specifically, a medical home is a model of care where each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician who leads a team responsible for a patient’s care. The physician-led care team is responsible for providing every patient’s health care needs and coordinating care across the health care system.
A medical home also emphasizes enhanced care through open scheduling, expanded hours and communication between patients, physicians and staff.
The NCQA recognition is built on evidence-based, nationally recognized clinical standards of care. The patient-centered medical home standards emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care that supports access, communication and patient involvement.
There are very stringent criteria that must be met before a clinic receives the patient-centered medical designation from NCQA. Key elements of the evaluation include:
- Written standards for patient access and patient communication
- Use of data to show standards for patient access and communication are met
- Use of paper or electronic charting tools to organize clinical information
- Use of data to identify important diagnoses and conditions in practice
- Adoption and implementation of evidence-based guidelines for three chronic conditions
- Active patient self-management support
- Systematic tracking of test results and identification of abnormal results
- Referral tracking, using a paper or electronic system
- Clinical and/or service performance measurement, by physician or across the practice
- Performance reporting, by physician or across the practice
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas.
Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve health care quality. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.