Vidant Medical Group Practices earn National Recognition for Patient-Centered Care | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    GREENVILLE, NC     The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently announced that Vidant Internal Medicine - Tarboro and Vidant Family Medicine - Tarboro, two Vidant Medical Group practices, have received NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long‐term, participative relationships.

    "Obtaining PCMH status has been a great team effort. It really takes committed staff to achieve this recognition: committed to our patients first, to the PCMH model, and to holding one another accountable for their role in our success," said Dr. Karen Coward with Vidant Family Medicine - Tarboro. "We are so proud of this recognition, but realize that this is just the start of better outcomes for our patients as we continue to engage our staff, patients and their families on this model of care."

    The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients' experience of care and reduce costs. Medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians, instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient's care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.

    "NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology and coordinated care focused on patients," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "Recognition shows that these Vidant Medical Group practices have the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time."

    To earn recognition, which is valid for three years, these practices demonstrated the ability to meet the program's key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards aligned with the joint principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association.

    Dr. Debra Thompson, vice president care transformation, said that Vidant's internal medicine and family medicine teams worked diligently to transform their practice from the traditional care model to a Level 3 patient-centered medical home, the highest level of medical home recognition from NCQA.

    "We engaged patients and families on this journey and see the positive impact of collaboration on improved health outcomes," said Thompson. "I am proud of both clinic teams for embracing the medical home model and continuing their work to improve the care provided to people in eastern NC."

    In addition to Vidant Internal Medicine - Tarboro and Vidant Family Medicine - Tarboro, Vidant Family Medicine - Wallace, Vidant Pediatrics - Edenton and Vidant Family and Sports Medicine - Edenton have recently received their three- year renewal of recognition as patient-centered medical homes.

    To find clinicians and their practices with NCQA PCMH Recognition, visit http://recognition.ncqa.org.

    Vidant Medical Group is a multispecialty physician and provider group that is part of Vidant Health. Vidant Health is a network of interconnected physician practices, more than 12,000 employees, eight hospitals, home health and hospice programs and wellness facilities.

    For more information, visit www.VidantHealth.com.

• Contact: Beth Anne Atkins
•     beth.atkins@vidanthealth.com