HASTINGS — When Mary Lanning Healthcare’s family care clinics receive the state Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) designation, it will mark the conclusion of a lengthy process.
But Tammie Johnson, Clinical Care Coordinator for Hastings Family Care, sums it up simply. It’s all about providing better service to MLH patients.
“This focuses on improvement of patient outcomes because of the increase in education we offer,” Johnson said.
The concept of a patient-centered medical home is focused around teamwork, quality care, chronic disease management and prevention. Instead of only treating a person when they are sick or injured, the medical home seeks to advise and educate to keep its patients healthy. Communication is also central to the medical home concept.
“PCMH has become the new standard in primary care, keeping up-to-date with the newest standards in family medicine,” Johnson said. “It can be used as a tool to further care coordination and patient participation in their own health outcomes. This can lead to higher quality care and lower costs, and can improve patient and provider experiences.”
The MLH family care clinics — Hastings Family Care, Community Health Center, Doniphan Family Care, Wood River Family Care, Edgar Medical Clinic and Blue Hill Medical Clinic — will receive the PCMH designation from the state of Nebraska. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 9, at noon in Conference Room #1, on MLH’s Ground Floor.
Arbor Health Plan, a Medicaid managed care organization, will present the designation. Arbor Health served as a guide for MLH throughout the state PCMH-designation process. Arbor Health shares resources related to the PCMH model to fulfill its mission of ensuring superior care for the underserved.