What is a Patient Centered Medical Home?
A Patient Centered Medical Home is a trusting partnership between a doctor-led healthcare team and an informed patient. It includes an agreement between the doctor and the patient that
acknowledges the role of each in a total healthcare program.
We trust our patients to:
· Tell us what you know about your health and illnesses
· Tell us about your needs and concerns
· Take part in planning your care
· Follow the care plan that is agreed upon, or let us know why you cannot so that we can try to help, or change the plan
· Tell us what medications you are taking and ask for a refill at your office visit when you need one
· Let us know when you see other doctors and what medications they put you on or change
· Ask other doctors to send us a report about your care when you see them
· Learn about wellness and how to prevent disease
· Learn about your insurance so you know what it covers
· Respect us as individuals and partners in your care
· Keep your appointments as scheduled, or call and let us know when you cannot
· Pay your share of the visit fee when you are seen in the office
· Give us feedback so we can improve our services
As we build your Medical Home you will notice some changes in the way we provide care, but many things will stay the same. We will continue to:
· Provide you with your own doctor who knows you and your family
· Respect you as an individual—we will not make judgments based on race, religion, sex, age or disability
· Respect your privacy—your medical information will not be shared with anyone unless you give us permission or it is required by law
· Provide care given by a team of people led by your doctor
· Give the care you need when you need it
· Give the care that meets your needs and fits with your goals and values
· Give care that is based on quality and safety
· Have a doctor on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
· Take care of short illness, long-term disease and give advice to help you stay healthy
· Tell you about your health and illnesses in a way that you can understand
Over the next several months, you may notice that:
· We ask what your goal is, or what you want to do to improve your health
· We ask you to help us plan your care, and let us know if you think you can follow the plan
· We give you a written copy of the care plan
· The care team members are doing more and/or different parts of the care
· We remind you when tests are due so that you can receive the best quality care
· We ask you to have blood tests done before your visit so that the doctor has the results at your visit
· We may offer you a chance to join in a special type of doctor’s visit called a “group visit”
· We continue to increase the use of technology in the way we manage your healthcare in ways such as ePrescriptions, eVisits, and online bill pay.
As part of our Patient Centered Medical Home orientation, we will ask you to acknowledge your agreement to the above upon your next visit to our office, and we will acknowledge our agreement to you.
Either you or your doctor may end this partnership at any time. If you choose to end the partnership, please notify us and tell us why. If your doctor decides to stop seeing you, we will notify you with an explanation as to why. With your written permission, we will forward a copy of your medical information to your next doctor.
