KAISER PERMANENTE HAWAII RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR MEDICAL HOME MODEL
Honolulu Clinic Receives NCQA’s Physician Practice Connections Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition
Honolulu, HI – July 25, 2011 – Kaiser Permanente announced today that the Honolulu Clinic and Kihei and Lahaina Clinics on Maui, and their primary care providers have received the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Physician Practice Connections (PPC) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition at Level 3, the highest level, for its integrated and coordinated care delivery system, which supports quality, access, continuity of care, and better patient involvement. All three clinics scored the highest points possible, 100 out of 100, for this recognition.The PCMH is a model of care that seeks to strengthen physician-patient interaction with coordinated care and a long-term healing relationship. It is gaining acceptance nationally as a best-practice method of care delivery and is a promising tool for successful health care reform implementation.
Kaiser Permanente’s model is based on coordinated care and standardized systems, such as the fully integrated electronic medical record system. Kaiser Permanente’s Maui Lani Clinic received Level 3 recognition from NCQA in May 2011; its Hawaii Kai Clinic was recognized last November. Kaiser Permanente plans to have all of its 14 primary care clinics in Hawaii designated PCMH Level 3 – the highest standard – by the end of 2011.
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii was recently rated as having the highest-rated Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial plan in the state, according to NCQA Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2010-11. All three plans are also accredited with NCQA's highest quality rating.
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has provided total health to the people of Hawaii for more than 50 years. Care for members is focused on their total health being guided by their personal physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Expert care and medical teams are supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Its physicians are members of the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, the largest multi-specialty physician group practice in the state of Hawaii. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. Visit www.kp.org for additional information.
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This news release describes Kaiser’s success in applying the Medical Homes system voluntarily. On the other hand, Gov Abercrombie and the Obama Administration are trying to force physicians into a Medical Home model using bureaucratic carrots and sticks which give MDs a perverse incentive to dump their least healthy patients. Here is the result:
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