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Three Years Running, Community Clinics Earn Prestigious Patient-centered Recognition

University of Utah Health’s primary care clinics were recognized once again by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for their efforts to maintain Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs).  

For three years now, patients have benefited from a medical home approach to care. “This recognition again shows that we have put in place and maintained systems where patients receive the kind of care we would hope our loved ones receive,” said Emily Carlson, quality manager.

The team-based health care delivery model emphasizes access and continuity, care coordination and collaboration, and patient involvement in improving and maintaining patient health. “Being a patient in a patient-centered medical home means that our patients have access to a primary care provider who can act as ‘air traffic control’ and direct their healthcare needs with the support of nurses, medical assistants, clinical pharmacy, nurse care managers, behavioral health specialists, and more,” said Carlson. 

Carlson, along with Julie Day, MD, Annie Mervis, Chanda Sundara, Hannah Payne, and Gabriele Baraghoshi, have led yearly efforts to obtain official recognition by NCQA, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.

Their team partnered with clinicians, nursing, and clinic managers from internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics to meet rigorous standards, including collecting and sharing data and achieving progress on key quality metrics.

Patients remark that it is easier to get an appointment, they spend less time in the waiting room, they feel like the staff and providers know them, and that their experience receiving care is seamless.

Thirteen primary care clinics received the recognition:  

  • Centerville Health Center
  • Farmington Health Center
  • Greenwood Health Center
  • Madsen Family Medicine
  • Parkway Health Center
  • Redstone Health Center
  • Redwood Health Center
  • South Jordan Health Center
  • South Main Health Center
  • Stansbury Health Center
  • Sugarhouse Family Medicine
  • University Pediatric Clinic
  • Westridge Health Center

The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home program reflects the input of the American College of Physicians (ACP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and others.