8 Aurora sites receive national recognition for approach to care

Eight Aurora Health Care sites have achieved Level 3 recognition – the highest level available – as a Patient Centered Medical Home from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).  Clinics with Patient Centered Medical Home Status are recognized for providing coordinated and consistent care to patients.

There are now 57 Aurora sites that have achieved Patient Center Medical Home recognition within the Aurora system, which was the first health system in Wisconsin to receive the Patient Centered Medical Home recognition and designation.

The following Aurora sites have recently achieved this recognition:

• Aurora Health Center in Ripon
• Aurora Health Center in Twin Lakes
• Aurora Health Center in Walworth
• Aurora Health Center in Waukesha
• Aurora Sheboygan Clinic
• Aurora Health Center in Caledonia
• Aurora St. Luke's Health Center in Franklin
• Aurora Health Center in Kenosha

The Patient Centered Medical Home recognition acknowledges a health care setting that facilitates partnerships between individual patients, their personal physicians, and when appropriate, the patient’s family.

Specifically, a medical home is a model of care where each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician who leads a team responsible for a patient’s care. The physician-led care team is responsible for providing every patient’s health care needs and 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.

The NCQA recognition is built on evidence-based, nationally recognized clinical standards of care. The Patient Centered Medical Home standards emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care that supports access, communication and patient involvement.

There are very stringent criteria that must be met before a clinic receives the Patient-Centered Medical Home designation from NCQA. Key elements of the evaluation include:

• Written standards for patient access and patient communication
• Use of data to show standards for patient access and communication are met
• Use of paper or electronic charting tools to organize clinical information
• Use of data to identify important diagnoses and conditions in practice
• Adoption and implementation of evidence-based guidelines for three chronic conditions
• Active patient self-management support
• Systematic tracking of test results and identification of abnormal results
• Referral tracking, using a paper or electronic system
• Clinical and/or service performance measurement, by physician or across the practice
• Performance reporting, by physician or across the practice

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas.

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve health care quality.  Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.