Institute for Family Health Becomes…

Institute for Family Health Becomes the First Health Center Network in New York to Achieve Highest Recognition as a Patient Centered Medical Home from National Committee for Quality Assurance

 

New York, NY (September 15, 2009) — The Institute for Family Health achieved Level 3 recognition as a Patient Centered Medical Home from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), becoming the first Community Health Center network in New York State to hold this distinction.  The Level 3 certification is the highest designation given by the NCQA, recognizing the high quality of health care provided at 13 Institute for Family Health full-time federally qualified community health centers located in Manhattan, the Bronx and the Mid-Hudson Valley.  This level of practice excellence benefits roughly 75,000 patients from four counties who receive medical, dental, and mental health services at Institute centers each year.

The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Program was developed to assess whether physician practices are functioning as medical homes and recognize them for these efforts. PCMH standards emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care that supports access, communication and patient involvement. Care components include preventive services, treatment of acute and chronic illness, and assistance with end-of-life issues.

Neil Calman, MD, president and CEO of the Institute, commented, “This recognition is a testament to the level of care provided to all of our patients, regardless of their ability to pay.  This quality of care is made possible by two important factors: the commitment of the doctors, nurses, social workers and support staff at the centers, and the Institute’s award winning electronic health record and practice management system, Epic. Electronic health records are a phenomenal tool to increase preventive care, improve quality, improve patient safety and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.”
“Federally-qualified health centers are critical safety net providers in our communities,” said New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, MD. “Governor Paterson and the State Health Department support the Medical Home model for the high-quality, coordinated care these centers provide to patients. We congratulate the Institute for Family Health on receiving the highest recognition as a Patient Centered Medical Home from the NCQA and for being on the cutting edge of delivering the highest quality preventive health care in their communities.”

Steve Kelley, CEO of the Ellenville Regional Hospital, said, “I am so pleased to have the Institute as a partner in caring for the residents of our communities.  The NCQA accomplishment is a reflection of their commitment to providing the best possible medical care to their patients, even to those who have no health insurance. I hope that many area residents —especially those who do not currently have a doctor—will visit an Institute center.”

In addition to the full-time health centers certified by NCQA, the Institute for Family Health operates eight part-time health centers that serve homeless individuals, two school health programs, two free clinics and a variety of other programs. It also operates two family medicine residency programs, an urban program in Manhattan and a rural program in Kingston, NY. More than 40 federal, state and private grants support the organization’s efforts to provide services to special populations including those affected by HIV/AIDS or those who are homeless  as well as the Institute’s Center of Excellence on the Elimination of Disparities, Bronx Health REACH. The Institute also operates the Ulster County Healthy Start and Dutchess County Healthy Families programs.

The Institute’s NCQA-certified health centers in the Bronx are: Urban Horizons Family Practice, 50-98 East 168th Street; Mt. Hope Family Practice, 130 West Tremont Avenue; Walton Family Health Center, 1894 Walton Avenue; Parkchester Family Practice,   1597 Unionport Road; and Westchester Avenue Center, 1990 Westchester Avenue. In Manhattan, the centers are: Sidney Hillman/Phillips Family Practice, 16 East 16th Street; East 13th Street Family Practice, 113 East 13th Street; Washington Irving School-based Health Center, 40 Irving Place; and Amsterdam Center, 690 Amsterdam Avenue. In the Mid-Hudson Valley, the centers are: Family Health Center of Kingston, 1 Family Practice Drive; Family Health Center of New Paltz, 279 Main Street; Family Health Center of Ellenville, 6 Healthy Way; and Family Practice Center of Hyde Park, 11 Crum Elbow Road.