What Is a Patient Centered Medical Home?
At Palmetto Primary Care Physicians (PPCP), we are always working on ways to provide our patients with a higher standard of care, on making progress while preserving the principles that brought you to us in the first place. Several years ago, PPCP became a nationally recognized Patient Centered Medical Home in order to once again remind patients, we put you first. A Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a team-based model of providing care, designed to support providers in improving and maintaining the health of their patients. The PCMH model highlights the unique skills of individuals in the care team and the importance of the patient’s role in their own health. PCMH recognizes that providing real and complete healthcare requires a team of caring professionals centered around an informed patient.
What are the benefits to being part of a PCMH?
The main goal of Palmetto Primary Care Physicians’ PCMH program is to help patients have what they need to manage their health, whether they have a chronic disease or the flu. Some ways that this goal is addressed is through increased frequency and quality of communication, 24/7 triage services, the use of an integrated electronic medical record, and availability of same-day appointments. PPCP is also a designated Benefit Bank® site with Trident United Way, which allows us to efficiently assess eligibility for assistance and connect our patients to community resources.
Other benefits to patients may also include:
- Individual Patient Care Coordinator
- Assistance with healthcare and general insurance benefit questions
- Resources to help self-manage chronic conditions
ex. Diabetes, Hypertension, Congestive Heart Failure - Access to community resources
- Medication discounts, when available
- Reminders for check-ups and tests
Who is part of a patient’s “care team?”
The members of the patient’s care team include the Doctor, Physician’s Assistant, or Nurse Practitioner, nurses, medical assistants, and front desk staff. For some patients, this could also include a patient care coordinator, dietician, pharmacist, and other care providers outside of your Doctor’s office. These other providers, such as a cardiologist or gynecologist, help manage chronic conditions in specialty settings. All of these individuals working together means less disjointed care and smoother transitions between services.
Why you should take pride in being part of a PCMH Practice?
Palmetto Primary Care Physicians has accomplished many “firsts.” PPCP was the first in South Carolina to launch a Patient Centered Medical Home. We were the first to be an NCQA Level III PCMH, and one of only four in the nation for the first two years. We were the first private primary care group registered with Trident United Way’s Benefit Bank. Currently, we are one of two programs in the country for which the BCBS Federal Employee Program participates in a PCMH. We were the first in the nation to develop Patient Care Coordinator training, and currently, we are spearheading efforts in the development of a nationally recognized certification. All that we do, we do with our patients in mind. We hope we make you feel heard, understood, cared for, and, at the end of the day, proud.
Have a question? Send us an email!
← Go Back To Home Page
