The LECOM Institute for Successful Aging, a leader in providing clinical services, education, and research in geriatric medicine, has been nationally recognized for its quality of care for older adults.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently honored the Institute for its “Systematic Use of Patient-Centered, Coordinated Care Management Processes.” The LECOM Institute for Successful Aging is the only such facility locally to meet the current standards of the NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home program, which is designed to help improve primary care by organizing it around patients.
The recognition runs through 2016.
“We’re very excited to be commended for the high level of care we provide and for developing long-term, participative relationships with our patients,” said Danielle M. Hansen, D.O., Associate Director of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging and Vice President of Acute Care Services at Millcreek Community Hospital. “Our focus is on ensuring that they are very involved in helping manage their own care and have the ability to be active participants in the process.”
The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) program emphasizes coordination and communication to transform primary care into “what patients want it to be,” according to the NCQA. Through its adherence to the program, the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging has provided high-quality care while also lowering costs and improving patients’ experiences.
Each patient’s care is administered by clinician-led teams which provide for all patient-related needs and which coordinate treatment across the continuum of care.
In order to be recognized, the Institute had to demonstrate the ability to meet key elements of the PCMH program. The elements are aligned with principles established in cooperation with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Osteopathic Association and include:
· Documented standards for patient access and continuity of care
· Established processes designed to gather feedback from patients on their care
· Responsive care management techniques that emphasize preventive care
· The ability to adapt to patients’ varying cultural and linguistic needs
· Use of evidence-based guidelines to treat chronic conditions
“The Patient-Centered Medical Home program raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology, and strong relationships between clinicians and patients,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, President of NCQA. “This recognition serves as an acknowledgement that the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging has in place the necessary procedures, systems, and standards to provide patients with the right care at the right time.”
More about the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging
The Institute offers primary care and consultative clinical services in geriatric medicine. Its specialists work with primary care physicians, patients, and families so as to encourage independence and shared decision making in the process of determining each patient’s ideal plan of care.
The Institute offers a number of programs, including memory assessment, comprehensive geriatric assessment, balance disorders and falls prevention, mental health, and osteoporosis and geriatric fracture prevention.
The Institute’s location within the LECOM John M. & Silvia Ferretti Medical Fitness & Wellness Center allows it to use an interdisciplinary approach to care and offer patients a range of services, including radiology and physical therapy.
In addition to the recognition by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Institute and Millcreek Community Hospital recently were recognized by the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) program. The Institute and the Hospital were the first local healthcare providers to be honored by the NICHE program for their commitment to providing quality care for older adults.
The NICHE program has established guidelines and standards that providers can use to offer adults age 65 and over “sensitive and exemplary care.”