What is a Patient Centered Medical Home?
A Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a group of healthcare professionals working together to provide a team approach to patient care.
What can a Patient Centered Medical Home do for you?
- Provide you with better, more personalized care, because your healthcare team knows you and your health history
- Offer you better access to care that is coordinated between your doctor, specialists and hospitals
- Help you understand your condition(s) and how to treat yourself or family member
- Be available 24/7 if you need them. To reach your care team after hours, please call your physician’s office
When should I contact my Medical Home?
- For an annual physical
- To receive needed wellness and preventative care immunizations
- For help managing chronic illness or conditions
- To care for symptoms such as fever, flu, sore throat or cough
- For problems that need immediate care such as: infections, asthma, vomiting, injuries/sprains
Go to the Emergency Room when you believe you or your family member’s health is at serious and immediate risk. Such as: when bleeding won’t stop; when breathing is difficult; after a serious accident. If time permits, it is ideal to contact your physician prior to going to the Emergency Room.
What are our roles in working together?
As your primary care provider, we will:
- Learn about you, your family, life situations and your health goals and preferences
- Take care of any short-term illness, long-term chronic disease, and your all-around well-being
- Keep you up-to-date on all your vaccines and preventative screening tests
- Coordinate your care with other members of your health care team
- Be available to you after hours for your urgent needs
- Notify you of test results in a timely manner
- Help you make the best decisions for your care
- Give you information about resources that can help you learn how to stay healthy
We trust you, as our patient, to:
- Know that you are a full partner with us in your care
- Come to each visit with updates on medications, dietary supplements, or remedies you’re using
- Let us know when you see other health care providers so we can help coordinate the best care for you
- Keep scheduled appointments or call to reschedule as early as possible
- Understand your health condition: ask questions about your care and tell us when you don’t understand something
- Learn about your condition(s) and what you can do to stay as healthy as possible
- Follow the plan that we have agreed is best for your health
- Take medications as prescribed
- Call if you do not receive your test results within two weeks
- Contact us after hours, only if your issue cannot wait until the next business day
- If possible, contact us before going to the ER so someone who knows your medical history can care for you
- Agree that all health care providers in the care team will receive all information related to your health care
- Learn about your health insurance coverage and contact your health insurance plan provider if you have any questions about your benefits
- Pay your share of any fees
- Give us your feedback to help us improve our care for you
Patient Checklist
The Patient Centered Medical Home is designed for you to be involved with and better understand your health care. Please do the following at every appointment to maximize your visit:
- Ask questions you feel are the most important first, in case there is not time for all of them to be addressed
- Bring the medications you are taking with you to your appointment
- Talk with your provider about what health issue(s) you should work on first
- Confirm you know how to reach your care team after hours if it becomes necessary
- Make sure you understand medication and care instructions, testing plans, referrals and follow up instructions discussed during your visit