Seeking Early Adopters for Connected Care Evaluation Program

February 5, 2015 · NCQA

NCQA is recruiting early adopters for its newest delivery system evaluation program, Patient-Centered Connected Care™ Recognition.

As more Americans receive care in nontraditional settings—such as retail-based clinics, urgent care centers and employer-based facilities—care can be fragmented. Patients may not have a practitioner who manages and tracks their care, leading to quality gaps.

NCQA Patient-Centered Connected Care Recognition will evaluate sites delivering outpatient health care that communicate effectively with a patient’s other providers—especially primary care providers that constitute a patient’s “medical home.” The result is integrated, patient-centered care for patients receiving care at multiple different care delivery sites.

Patient-Centered Connected Care Recognition uses evidence-based standards to evaluate how care teams collaborate with patients and how a care site connects to other providers.

“NCQA’s Patient-Centered Connected Care program is a paradigm shift in accountable care that will help ambulatory care settings collaborate with primary care, to provide continuous patient care,” said Randy Curnow, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs, Mercy Health Physicians.

Benefits for Patient-Centered Connected Care Early Adopters

Early adopters receive:

• A discounted survey fee.
• A complimentary Webinar training session.
• A free copy of standards and guidelines.

As the first to earn the NCQA seal for Patient-Centered Connected Care, early adopters also:

• Demonstrate their commitment to patient-centered care.
• Show they are ready to partner with primary care providers.
• Support patients’ health and improve patient experience by connecting them to the right resources, at the right time.
• Improve processes and procedures by evaluating them against best practices.
• Endorse readiness for value-based contracts between payers and recognized sites.

Program Requirements

Sites that meet the following standards can earn the NCQA seal:

• Connecting With Primary Care: The site connects with and shares information with primary care providers.
• Identifying Patient Needs: The site triages patients to appropriate providers, when necessary.
• Patient Care and Support: The site uses evidence-based decision support in care delivery, patient collaboration and culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
• System Capabilities: The site uses electronic systems to collect data and execute tasks.
• Measure and Improve Performance: The site performs quality improvement activities to enhance clinical quality and patient experience.

For information on becoming an early adopter, visit www.ncqa.org/connectedcare or call 202-750-5433.