(NCQA: Washington, DC) -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance launched a new version of its Physician Practice Connections (PPC) program designed to assess how medical practices are functioning as patient-centered medical homes. The new Physician Practice Connections—Patient-Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH) emphasizes the systematic use of patient-centered, coordinated care management processes.

The medical home is a promising approach that seeks to strengthen the patient-physician relationship by replacing episodic care with coordinated care and a long-term healing relationship. The medical home is defined as a model of care where each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician who leads a team that takes collective responsibility for patient care. The physician-led care team is responsible for providing all the patient’s health care needs and, when needed, coordinating care across the health care system. A medical home also emphasizes enhanced care through open scheduling, expanded hours and communication between patients, physicians and staff.

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