WMCHC Achieves Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition

Honesdale, PA (March 5, 2020) —Officials of Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers (WMCHC) recently received notification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) that all eight of its primary care health centers have achieved Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition effective February 20, 2020. Standards set by the NCQA emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered coordinated care that supports access, communication and patient involvement.

“PCMH Recognition has become the gold standard of quality in primary care,” stated Frederick Jackson, executive director, WMCHC. “This is a great day for us as an organization as well as the patients we serve.”

The PCMH Recognition offers patients many advantages for improvement in their care experience. It calls for care to be coordinated through the primary care provider to ensure patients receive appropriate care when and where they need it, in a manner they can understand.

According to WMCHC Clinical Operations & Quality Director Norma Nocilla, BSHA, LPN, CPHQ, the health centers’ administration began aggressively pursuing PCMH recognition over a year ago although they had been working towards this goal over several years. The process led to implementation of a Patient-Centered Care Coordination Model across all WMCHC primary care sites which included the hiring of additional nursing staff.  Furthermore, policy revisions to improve access to care, monitoring timeliness of patient communication, improving tracking of referrals and providing follow up appointments were implemented.

Jackson praised members of WMCHC’s staff for obtaining the accomplishment, “this recognition would not be possible without the hard work of the PCMH Transformation Team comprised of the primary care practice managers, administrative, quality and clinical staff led by Norma Nocilla and Wynter Newman.”

WMCHC offices which are now officially PCMH sites are: Carbondale Family Health Center, Forest City Family Health Center, Hamlin Family Health Center, Honesdale Family Health Center, Highland Physicians Family Health Center, Northern Wayne Family Health Center; Pike Family Health Center and Pinnacle Family Health Center.

Photo: Members of WMCHC’s PCMH Transformation Team are shown posing with one of eight Certificates of Recognition issued by the NCQA. Seated, left to right, Chelsea Galea, MHA, quality coordinator; Norma Nocilla, BSHA, LPN, CPHQ, clinical operations & quality director; Wynter Newman, practice manager, Carbondale Family Health Center, Forest City Family Health Center, Honesdale Family Health Center, Northern Wayne Family Health Center and Pike Family Health Center. Standing, Janice McConnell, practice manager, Hamlin Family Health Center; Jennifer Case, clinical office coordinator, Highland Physicians Family Health Center; Sarah Mickel, LPN, office manager, Highland Physicians Family Health Center; and Frederick Jackson, executive director. Absent when photo was taken are Michelle Corrigan, RN, clinical care coordinator/risk manager and Gail Peterson, practice manager, Pinnacle Family Health Center.

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Health Care Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, on Facebook at facebook.com/NCQA.org/ and on Linkedin at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.