The Cleveland Clinic recently became the first hospital in the nation to earn The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval for Primary Care Medical Home certification.
The certification option was first launched in February 2013. It allows Joint Commission-accredited hospitals to increase patient satisfaction, improve outcomes and reduce the overall cost of care, according to a news release.
As the result of an on-site survey in September 2013, in which the hospital was evaluated for how well primary care clinicians and interdisciplinary teams work with patients as partners to provide patient-centered care, 39 Cleveland Clinic practices received certification.
"We are thrilled to be the first integrated healthcare delivery system in the country to receive this recognition," said David Longworth, MD, chair of the medicine institute at Cleveland Clinic, in a news release. "This certification recognizes our striving to be national leaders in population management and transformation of the care delivery model in the United States."
The model focuses on teamwork, care coordination and population-based approach to providing healthcare, according to Mark Pelletier, RN, COO, division of accreditation and certification operations at The Joint Commission. "Primary care medical homes represent a new approach for hospitals to emphasize their commitment to patient-centered care within their outpatient care service delivery sites," he said. "Hospitals that achieve PCMH certification will have the framework in place that will assist them in their efforts to deliver the best care possible for their patients."
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