Core Physicians’ Family Practice Recognized as Patient-Centered Medical Home

Core Physicians’ family practice located at 24 Plaistow Road, in Plaistow, NH has received national recognition for adopting a coordinated approach to primary care for its patients.

The practice of Drs. Mullaney, Litsch and Pernyeszi was recognized as a Patient-Centered Medical Home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a national non-profit dedicated to improving health care quality.

“In the patient centered model of care the practice adopts a team-based approach that includes not only the physician, but an entire team of medical professionals who collaborate to deliver care and coordinate care for patients,” explained Roxanne Touchette, Vice President of Clinical Operations for Core Physicians. “If you are a patient of a practice that is a medical home, your physician would oversee, facilitate and coordinate your care across the health care system which provides a continuity of care.”

Core Physicians is working to adopt the patient-centered medical home model in all 14 of its primary care practices in New Hampshire.

“This approach to care embodies the philosophy of Core Physicians in that it takes into account the whole patient and engages the patient in their care plan,” Touchette said. “We are able to give patients more time and attention under this model as they’re not just seeing their doctor but have access to an entire care team.”

The patient-centered medical home approach encourages patients to take an active role in their care and patients are able to connect with their medical team with questions via a web portal for the practice.

“We work directly with our patients to make sure they are engaged in their care plan. Successful outcomes have been shown to increase among patients who are engaged in and educated about their care,” Touchette said. “This model also takes into account all of the needs of our patients—we provide emotional and mental health support as well as resources for those who may be experiencing financial difficulties or some other barrier to receiving medical care. This is about improving the quality of care we provide to our patients by organizing and coordinating that care around them.”

About the NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home:

The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) 2011 is an innovative program for improving primary care. In a set of standards that describe clear and specific criteria, the program gives practices information about organizing care around patients, working in teams and coordinating and tracking care over time. PCMH 2011 directs practices to organize care according to patients’ preferences and needs. Standards emphasize access to care during and after office hours, and managing care in collaboration with patients and families. Other aspects of patient-centeredness include providing services in patients’ preferred languages, helping patients with self-care and facilitating patient access to community resources.