in your family's history with AtlantiCare Primary Care Plus.

atlanticare Primary care Plus:
consider Us your healthcare home
“You have helped me understand that being diagnosed with diabetes does not mean I cannot continue to enjoy eating out with friends.”
“You provided us with contacts for community resources, and we were able to find the care our mom needed be able to stay in her home of 50 years.”
“I understand how and why I need to read food labels. It is not work anymore; it is a way of life for me.”
People throughout our community are responding with great enthusiasm to a novel approach to primary medical care — the “patient-centered
medical home” (PCMH) — now in practice at AtlantiCare Physician Group (APG) Primary Care Plus offices. More than 25 primary care practices
in the area have adopted AtlantiCare’s Primary Care Plus model of care, which features timely appointments, electronic medical records,
and a commitment to connecting and coordinating everyone involved in your care.
What is a Medical hoMe?
The medical home is a relatively new healthcare delivery model that is being rapidly adopted throughout the nation. It is a team-based, coordinated
outpatient care approach that is accessible and affordable, and contributes to higher-quality patient care.
Under this model, your primary care provider’s (PCP) office will become your “home base” for your total health and well-being throughout your
lifetime. Your PCP will give you the support and resources to help you live a healthier lifestyle. You will take advantage of annual preventive care
visits, appropriate health screenings, and extra help managing any chronic conditions you may have.
Your PCP also will coordinate any specialty care you might need and will be in regular communication with those specialists so everyone involved
in your care is informed and connected.
Being Patient centered
One goal of the medical home is for it to be “patient centered.” Although healthcare professionals at AtlantiCare always have put a priority on
patient care, medical homes are more intentionally focused on your overall care experience, satisfaction, and outcomes.
Mitchell Kaminski, MD, medical director, AtlantiCare Physician Group Primary Care and Medical Specialties, explains one way this can play out
in a medical home.
“When a sick person calls for an appointment, she shouldn’t be asked, ‘How sick are you feeling?’ to determine when she will be seen,” says Dr.
Kaminski. “The patient should be able to get the access to care she needs when she feels she needs it. If a person with diabetes needs to meet
with his healthcare team, he should be able to come in at a time that doesn’t conflict with his work schedule.”
Patients aren’t the only ones who benefit from the medical home model. Overall healthcare costs are also reduced. For instance, one of the
most costly diseases to manage is diabetes. Christeen Cornell, RN, BSN, CCM, director of Clinical Transformation, AtlantiCare, gives an example
of how a medical home can not only help a diabetes patient, but help contain costs.
“There is a tremendous amount of care coordination involved with patients who have diabetes,” says Cornell. “People with diabetes often need
to see multiple specialists, and have tests and preventive procedures. In the medical home model, our nurse care managers help coordinate
their care. Our goal is to manage care in a proactive manner so patients get the necessary preventive care. Ultimately, this means they go to
the hospital less often and have fewer complications, which also means fewer healthcare dollars are spent caring for that person.”
leveraging technology
Medical homes are expected to rely on electronic medical records (EMRs), as well as other
technology to deliver the highest-quality care most affordably.
AtlantiCare uses this technology to enhance communication among caregivers and with our
patients. For example, we use technology to send patients reminders about preventive care
and testing. If you prefer, AtlantiCare Physician Group emails you test results. AtlantiCare
is also piloting a patient portal through which APG Primary Care Plus patients can communicate
electronically with their physician’s office, request appointments and referrals, and
request refills of prescription medications.
“Establishing medical homes will allow healthcare to evolve — it will be less ‘put out the fire’
care with people going to an emergency department for a problem that could have been
prevented. Instead, people will be healthier — and we will have a healthier system. Some
health systems are not yet moving in this direction, but it is not only the best direction, I
believe it is the only sustainable one.”
New patients are welcome at all APG Primary Care Plus offices. For the location of an office near you,
call 1-888-569-1000 or visit www.AltantiCarePhysicianGroup.com.
national accreditation
for Quality
AtlantiCare is in the process of acquiring the National
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Primary
Care Medical Home (PCMH) recognition for all of our
primary care practices. To attain this designation, a
practice must meet or exceed the NCQA’s standards for
organizing care around patients, working in teams, and
coordinating and tracking care over time.
“AtlantiCare has always measured patient satisfaction
and worked to improve quality,” says Terri Schieder, RN,
MS, MBA, vice president for Clinical Integration, AtlantiCare.
“However, now we are focusing on ‘customer
experience’ — which includes ensuring patients have
quality care that we deliver efficiently and effectively. We
now engage our patients as customers and gather more
information from them about their care experience so we
can serve them even better.”
The Boardwalk Journal | April 2013 | 57