NCQA, Med-IQ and ArcheMedX Collaborate to Improve Quality in Patient-Centered Medical Homes and Practices Earning Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition

To help improve patient care, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and its collaborating partners, Med-IQ and ArcheMedX, will develop an innovative education series for health care professionals practicing in NCQA-Recognized patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) and practices interested in becoming recognized as a PCMH by NCQA.

PCMH is the fastest-growing delivery system innovation. Nearly 43,000 clinicians at more than 8,600 practices have earned the NCQA PCMH seal, and 37 states have initiatives that use NCQA Recognition. This first-of-its-kind education model will be delivered in two tracks—”Pre-Recognition” and “Post-Recognition”—and will align certified and non-certified education with NCQA-Recognized PCMHs to improve knowledge, competency, performance and patient outcomes. 

The ArcheViewer, an informatics-driven, connected learning architecture developed by ArcheMedX, will power both online tracks and offer participating clinicians a personalized and structured set of learning tools that will drive reflection and have a positive impact on practices as learners engage in educational content and resources developed by NCQA and Med-IQ.

The “Pre-recognition” portfolio will be a central repository of resources aimed at the primary care practice that would like to pursue the PCMH model, but do not know where to start. The “Pre- Recognition Portfolio would offer a variety of learner-accessible tools and resources towards practice transformation. Primary care practices vary in configuration (e.g. solo, multi site, community health center) population served, locations (e.g. urban, rural), and technical capabilities (EHRs, patient registries, patient portals, appointment systems/reminders). This portfolio will cast a wide net to engage clinicians and establish a pipeline towards PCMH Recognition.

NCQA has identified several attributes that contribute to PCMH success including technical assistance to help create and sustain the transformation, practical examples and support for meeting the requirements, and a systems approach to QI that results in data, standard measurements, and technical assistance.

The Pre-Recognition portfolio will be a central repository of resources aimed at primary care practices that want to pursue the PCMH model, but do not know where to start. The portfolio will offer a variety of learner-accessible tools and resources to facilitate practices’ transformation into medical homes.

NCQA has identified several attributes that contribute to PCMH success, including technical assistance to help create and sustain the transformation, practical examples and support for meeting requirements and a systems approach to QI.

The Post-Recognition portfolio will help practices continue to maintain and improve their quality of care. A mix of live and online learner-accessible activities will be offered to the health care team, in addition to topics that relate directly to their patient population, to help them target areas for quality improvement.

Because the ArcheViewer will power the online activities, NCQA and Med-IQ will be able to rapidly assess the effectiveness of each activity and continuously refine content and lessons to guide learners, who will have access to online activities in the following clinical areas:

• Behavioral/mental health
  • ADHD, depression, substance abuse, bipolar disorder
• CV risk and disease management
  • Congestive HF, hypertension, lipid management, obesity management
• Endocrinology
  • Type 2 diabetes, male hypogonadism, osteoporosis
• Neurology
  • Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease
• Preventive health care/patient education
  • Medication adherence, smoking cessation, antibiotic resistance, adult immunization, HCV screening

All clinical topics will be linked to the PCMH model, with feedback provided specifically for PCMH requirements. This “ladders up” to the triple aim of better quality, cost and patient experience.

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About the Patient-Centered Medical Home

The patient-centered medical home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients’ experience of care and reduce costs. Medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians, instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Patient care is managed by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatments across the health care system. A growing body of research confirms that medical homes can lead to higher quality, lower costs and higher patient and provider satisfaction.

For more information on this initiative, the collaboration or NCQA PCMH Recognition, contact:

Bart Ecker
Director, Education
[email protected]
202-955-5120

Jennifer D’Alessandro, MPA
Assistant Director, Clinician Education
[email protected]
202-955-5196

Med-IQ Contacts

Scott Weber, CEO
CEO
Med-IQ
[email protected]
203-762-0588

Catherine B. Mullaney, MHA
Vice President, Educational Partnerships
Med-IQ
[email protected]
443-543-5101

ArcheMedX Contact

Brian S. McGowan, PhD
Chief Learning Officer & Co-Founder
ArcheMedX, Inc.
[email protected]
267-603-2510