(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. - May 24, 2011) The new Primary Care Medical Home (PCMH) option for Joint Commission accredited ambulatory care organizations will be available in July 2011. Applications are now being accepted from organizations that are ready for survey.

The PCMH option focuses on how effectively the primary care clinician and the interdisciplinary team work in partnership with the patient. Another goal of this accreditation option is to support the continuity of care and the provision of comprehensive, coordinated and patient-centered care. The PCMH ambulatory care accreditation standards are posted on The Joint Commission website.

A PCMH is a model of care whereby services are provided to patients by a primary care clinician and an interdisciplinary team. Patients benefit from this model because they have increased access to the services of the clinician and interdisciplinary team; the care provided by other clinicians and facilities is tracked and coordinated; and evidence based treatment protocols guide their care. This care model also focuses more on education and self-management of the patient. The PCMH option will help accredited organizations ensure their patients receive timely and appropriate treatment, increase patient satisfaction, improve patient outcomes and reduce the overall costs to the health care system.
This accreditation option complements the Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program and is consistent with the new federal health care reform efforts to improve health outcomes and the coordination, quality and efficiency of health care services. It is designed to combine the improvements in quality of care and patient safety achieved through accreditation with the opportunity for increased reimbursement from third party payers when the additional requirements of a Primary Care Medical Home are met and the designation is awarded.

The standards for the PCMH option were developed with the help of an expert panel convened in June 2010, input was solicited from the field, and the draft standards were posted on the Joint Commission's website for public comment. The proposed standards were tested in primary care settings in the field prior to final approval by The Joint Commission's Board of Commissioners.

"The launch of this new optional program is truly historic for The Joint Commission. It further reinforces a method of evaluating patient-centered care, combined with the long recognized ambulatory accreditation process, to help move primary care delivery forward in this country. PCMH designation represents an additional achievement for accredited providers that deliver primary care in a comprehensive, coordinated and accessible model. We already have strong interest by currently accredited customers to use this option after July 1," says Michael Kulczycki, executive director, Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation Program, The Joint Commission.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,300 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,500 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also provides certification of more than 2,000 disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

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