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National Quality Organization Names Three More GBMA Primary Care Physician Practice Sites 'Patient-Centered Medical Homes'

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, nonprofit organization that accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, has recognized three more of Greater Baltimore Medical Associates (GBMA) primary care sites as Level 3 Physician Practice Connections-Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PPC-PCMH).  That brings to seven the number of GBMA sites that have met strict criteria for providing the highest quality, patient-centered care. 

All of the GBMA primary care sites that applied for the designation have received it, at the highest level, known as Level 3, which requires a score of 85 out of 100. The newly recognized sites, located at Owings Mills, Perry Hall and Joppa Road (Towson), all received a score of 89.50.  The GBMA facilities at Hunt Manor, Hunt Valley, Texas Station and Family Care Associates were recognized in 2012. 


The GBMA PPC-PCMH locations met strenuous criteria in six must-pass categories, such as effective communication among patients and caregivers, superior use of technology and data, and exceptional teamwork. The recognition is good for three years.

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“The application process is not easy and as a result we are very proud to have received this recognition,” says said Bennett (Ben) J. Beres, Chief Operating Officer of GBMA.  "These high scores reflect the dedication of the physicians, nurses and administrative staff at each location to providing the best care for their patients.  I congratulate them all for their hard work to make this achievement possible."

According to the NCQA, “PCMH is a model that emphasizes care and communication to transfer primary care into ‘what patients want it to be’ – a partnership between patients and their doctors.“  NCQA adds that PCMH sites follow high standards for patient access and continuity of care, use evidence-based guidelines to treat chronic conditions and focus on prevention and wellness and that such facilities use information technology for ordering and tracking prescriptions and test results and usually have expanded hours.  NCQA PCMH recognition is the most widely-used way to transform primary care practices into medical homes.

GBMA, one of five entities of GBMC HealthCare Inc., includes 41 owned physician practices with a variety of specialties including Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, General and Specialty Surgery and Oncology.

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Related Web-Sites

GBMC Primary Care Physicians
http://www.gbmc.org/mydoctor


Greater Baltimore Medical Associates (GBMA)
www.gbmc.org/gbma


The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)/Physician Practice Connections-Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PPC-PCMH)
http://www.ncqa.org/portals/0/PCMH%20brochure-web.pdf

 

GBMC at Hunt Valley Patient Centered Medical Home

http://embed.vidyard.com/landingpage/9dNik-vNg7P4t0nBH4pNug



ABOUT GBMC

GBMC HealthCare includes Greater Baltimore Medical Center, a 255-inpatient bed acute care not-for-profit hospital which opened in 1965; Greater Baltimore Medical Associates, a group of more than 40 multi-specialty physician practices on the hospital’s Towson campus and in off-campus locations across the region; Greater Baltimore Health Alliance, a network of employed and community-based clinician partners working collaboratively to provide better health and better care at a lower cost, Gilchrist Hospice Care, Maryland’s largest hospice organization offering in-home care, a 34-bed inpatient center on the GBMC Towson campus and a 10-bed inpatient center in Howard County; and the GBMC Foundation, which raises funds to support the organization’s mission. For more information, visit www.gbmc.org

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