By Linsay Cathey of the Daily Courier
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
A clinic in Grants Pass is the first in Oregon to receive “medical home” status from the Oregon Health Authority.
Mountainview Family Practice became a certified medical home, part of a statewide effort to expand services and deliver integrated health care, with an emphasis on preventive care.
Also referred to as a patient-centered primary care home, a medical home is a model of primary care that has received attention in Oregon and across the country for its potential to advance the “triple aim” goals of health reform: a healthy population, high-quality patient care and reasonable costs, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Medical homes focus on wellness and prevention, coordination of care, active management and support of individuals with special health care needs, and a patient-centered approach to all aspects of care.
Mountainview met criteria developed by the nonprofit National Committee for Quality Assurance, which is dedicated to improving health care quality. Mountainview earned the highest level of certification.
Some criteria include providing 24-hour access to care; offering comprehensive care including mental health, substance abuse and developmental services; accountability for providing quality care; and electronic medical health records for coordination of care.
“The medical home status validates our ability to provide high-quality care to our patients,” said Dr. Richard Williams, co-ownerand one of five physicians at Mountainview Family Practice. “With our office being the first to reach this milestone, we hope to be a resource for other clinics and provider offices in the Rogue Valley to become medical homes as well.”
Mountainview uses Greenway PrimeSUITE, an electronic health records software provided through Grants Pass-based Mid Rogue eHealth Services. Mid Rogue Independent Physician Association established Mid Rogue eHealth Services in 2007 to provide electronic health records, support and training in Southern Oregon.
“It’s almost impossible to do without an electronic medical health record,” said Dr. Lyle Jackson, medical director at Mid Rogue IPA. He added that the electronic health records are also used to track data and ensure patients are receiving preventive care such as mammograms, or eye tests for people with diabetes.
“The fact that Mid Rogue eHealth is based here locally makes it easier to get immediate assistance when we have questions about the electronic health records,” Williams said.
Electronic health records allow health care providers to store and retrieve large volumes of information, track lab orders and other diagnostic tests, coordinate referrals and analyze how care is being delivered.
“Better communication between multiple providers allows for more consistent care,” said Kris Keith, clinical coordinator at Mountainview. “It allows us to stay in the loop as far as what care patients are receiving elsewhere.”
Mountainview has been providing care in Grants Pass for more than 18 years and takes care of more than 16,000 patients.
“(Mountainview) really hit all of the standards,” said Dr. Jeanene Smith, administrator for the Office of Oregon Health Policy and Research, which handles certification for medical homes. “That’s truly integrating the care and that’s really what the whole transformation effort is, thinking about patient needs and then making it happen.”
Smith said medical homes are a “building block” in the foundation of coordinated care organizations introduced in House Bill 3650, which was approved during the 2011 session of the Oregon Legislature. The bill calls for an integrated and coordinated health care system for recipients of medical assistance such as the Oregon Health Plan, which is the state’s Medicaid program. Medical homes are considered the fundamental delivery method for the system.
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Reach reporter Linsay Cathey at 541-474-3722 or linsaycathey@thedailycourier.com