Your medical home is not a place, it’s a partnership with your primary care provider.
A patient-centered medical home is a medical office where your primary care team focuses on connecting the dots and coordinating your health care across multiple settings, rather than just treating the symptoms that brought you in to the office that day. Your medical home team includes your health care provider, others who support you, and — most importantly — you. Patient-centered is a way of saying that you are the focus of your health care.
Your primary care physician leads the team of medical professionals, including specialty physicians, behavioral health specialists, pharmacists, nutritionists, health educators, and other health care professionals, who are all focused on the goal of improving your overall health. Technology like the electronic health record and patient portal (mycareDOT™ powered by FollowMyHealth™) are used to communicate and coordinate your care and provide the best possible outcomes for you.
As primary care providers, in a patient-centered medical home we:
- Are available when you need us. You can communicate with us easily and efficiently and get appointments quickly. We even have access to an online patient portal where you can communicate securely over the internet with your doctor’s office.
- Know you and your health history and can suggest treatment options that make sense for you.
- Help you understand your condition(s) and how to take care of yourself.
- Help you coordinate your health care. We will help you find specialists, get appointments, and make sure specialists have the information they need to care for you. Community Care Physicians includes a number of excellent specialty and subspecialty physicians, all of whom share electronic health records and imaging studies, allowing your records to be immediately accessed by the providers administering your care. We are happy to refer you to any of these Community Care specialists when needed, or to any appropriate specialist you prefer.
- Use technology such as electronic medical records and share records to help prevent medical errors and make sure that we are always on the same page.
You, the patient, are the most important part of the medical home. We encourage you to take an active role in your own health by participating in your care, communicating openly with your care team, and working closely with the healthcare professionals involved in your care. This helps to ensure you are getting the care you need.
We also encourage you as the patient to be in charge of your own health by participating in your care and communicating openly with your care team.
We trust you, as our patient, to:
- Know that you are a full partner with us in your care.
- Come to each visit with any updates on medications, dietary supplements, or remedies you’re using, and questions you may have.
- 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 or cancel 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 us if you do not receive your test results within two weeks.
- Contact us after hours only if your issue cannot wait until the next work day.
- If possible, contact us before going to the emergency room so someone who knows your medical history can care for you.
- Agree that all health care providers in my care team will receive all information related to your health care.
- Pay your share of any fees.
- Give us feedback to help us improve our care for you.
NCQA NYS Patient-Centered Medical Homes
All of our practices are committed to quality, compassionate, innovative care and the wellbeing of our patients. This effort has resulted in many of our primary care practices being recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as New York State Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs).
In fact, Community Care Physicians was the first medical group in the Capital Region, NY to have its primary care practices awarded Recognition by the NCQA – Patient Centered Medical Home Program. We are proud to serve as your medical home.
To learn if your doctor’s office is formally Recognized by NCQA, visit your practice’s webpage and look for the below logo:
