(NCQA: Washington) -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance recently 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 PPC—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 AAFP, AAP, ACP, and AOA have defined the medical home 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. Many large health plans, as well as Medicare and Medicaid, are planning demonstration projects to learn more about how practices can become medical homes and the quality and cost advantages of doing so.

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