Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH): A Patient First Philosophy

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model is a widely-used, coordinated approach to providing comprehensive primary care for children, youth and adults. PCMHs are health care settings that work to facilitate partnerships between individual patients and their personal physicians, and when appropriate, the families of those patients. For almost two decades, this philosophy has been used in the treatment of acute and chronic conditions in both physical and mental health.

The Origins of the PCMH Model

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) introduced the Patient-Centered Medical Home concept in 1967. It was initially used to refer to a central location for archiving a child’s medical record. Then in 2002, the AAP expanded the concept to espouse several broad, more altruistic principles.

A Set of Principles Working to Improve Health Care Services

A Patient-Centered Medical Home is a health care philosophy that many medical facilities follow. This set of principles encourages providers and medical professionals to treat patients with respect, dignity and compassion, while building strong, trusting relationships.

Personal physician: Each person should have an ongoing relationship with a personal physician.

Physician directed medical practice: A personal physician leads a team of individuals at the practice level who collectively are responsible for patients’ ongoing care.

Whole person orientation: Physicians take responsibility for providing all of a patient’s health care needs or appropriately arranging care with other qualified professionals.

Quality and safety: PCMHs advocate for patients, use evidence-based medicine to guide decision-making and participate in quality improvement activities.

Enhanced access: Health care services are made available through systems, such as open scheduling, expanded hours and improved communication channels.

The goal of these principles is to ensure that health care services are received in the right place, at the right time and in a manner that best addresses the needs of the patient.

A Health Care Philosophy Benefiting Patients

A PCMH is not defined by the type of medical conditions it treats, but rather how it provides health care services. To truly be a patient-centered home, the practice must embody a comprehensive, coordinated and accountable approach to medicine that is focused on improving wellness.

At a Patient-Centered Medical Home like Advantage Care Health Centers, you can expect to be treated with compassion and respect by a trusted physician. Each time you visit, you can feel confident knowing that you will receive the kind of quality treatment you deserve.

Advantage Care specializes in providing comprehensive primary, dental, mental and behavioral health, psychiatry and psychology services. We give our patients improved access, coordinated care and enhanced patient/family involvement.

If you would like to meet with our health care professionals, please request an appointment today.