PITTSBURGH, PA – August 30, 2013 – All seven of Premier Medical Associates’ (PMA) adult primary care practices have been awarded the highly coveted designation of a Level Three Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). This is the highest level attainable for a medical care group. The NCQA was founded in 1990 in efforts to promote high standards of quality health care. The Committee has been instrumental in driving improvement throughout the healthcare system, helping to elevate the issue of health care quality to the top of the national agenda.
The prestigious Level 3 honor earned by Premier’s seven primary care offices was led by Premier’s Quality Assurance Coordinator, Star Rebarchak (R.N., B.S.N.), in conjunction with the physicians within each office. NCQA Accreditation not only recognizes their successful implementation of the acclaimed national movement, Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), but it also highlights Premier’s long-standing commitment to delivering the highest quality health care at the lowest possible costs for its patients.
“This certification is the result of two years of hard work, commitment and most of all dedication to our patients’ overall health,” says Mark DeRubeis, CEO at Premier Medical Associates. “We are very proud of all of our providers and staff who made this possible.”
The NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a visionary program for improving primary care that outlines meticulous standards for organizing care around every patient’s specific needs, working in teams and coordinating and tracking care over time. Within the PCMH model of care, individual patient attention remains the focal point, along with a strong emphasis on patient education. Patients are assigned one provider as their principal physician that is the central point person for the care team, managing everything from test results to medications and correspondence with any medical specialists. This new PCMH model is revolutionary to the delivery of medical care. It emphasizes enhanced primary care practices tailored to each patient, shifting the focus from quantity to quality of care and improved patient outcomes. The high standard of PCMH continues to evolve each year from the success of its earlier guidelines, making the program extremely involved to ensure a responsive approach to the changing needs of patients.
Under the direction of Ms. Star Rebarchak (R.N., B.S.N.), Premier began working diligently toward the PCMH model of care in June of 2011. The intricate two-year process required that an electronic health record (EHR) be in place, along with a strong information technology infrastructure and the dedicated engagement of all staff and physicians. Practices that obtain a Level 3 status are rare because the standards are the most arduous to attain.
The positive results generated from the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) distinction are not limited to prestige. Many practices that meet the advanced standards will also qualify for additional rewards and better-aligned incentives from health care payers.
At Premier, the most meaningful effect of the advancements made toward achieving PCMH designation is the ability to set a precedent for patient care, to provide at the highest level and augment patient outcomes. The exemplary enhancements will enable Premier to adopt the most sophisticated systems in healthcare, as a continued effort to pioneer even higher quality results.
“I am thrilled that we [PMA] were all able to come together to make this happen for our patients,” said Ms. Rebarchak. “I feel as though we are truly making a difference in the lives of our patients and making our community a better place. We are changing the way healthcare is delivered and that is huge! I want to thank all of the staff; providers, administration, IT, and patient care coordinators for all the hard work that has been put into this. We are changing lives and, as a nurse, I couldn’t ask for more.”
About Premier Medical Associates
With a focus on building better care, Premier Medical Associates is the largest multi-specialty practice in the Greater Pittsburgh area that reaches the lives of more than 100,000 patients with access to one hundred providers and twenty-two specialties. In a healthcare environment of constant change, the physicians at Premier Medical Associates are committed to preventive care and creating value for every dollar a patient spends on healthcare. Premier’s goal is to build a close, long-term relationship between patient and physician that will reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and lead to healthier lives.
Formed in 1993, Premier Medical Associates has a team of one hundred physicians in ten convenient locations offering specialties that include: asthma / allergy / immunology, behavioral health, cardiology, family medicine, gastroenterology, general and breast surgery, hospital medicine, infectious disease, internal medicine, neurology, ophthalmology, optometry, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, podiatry, pulmonology, rheumotology and sleep medicine. For more information about our philosophy of healthcare, team of physicians and locations, please go to www.premiermedicalassociates.com or call 412-457-0060.
