The Rhode Island Hospital Center for Primary Care has been designated a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

This model of care builds better relationships between patients and their clinical care teams. Research shows that it improves quality, patient experience, and staff satisfaction, while reducing health care costs.

“We’re excited to have earned PCMH recognition. It is validation that we embrace the principles of care coordination and improved access to maximize patient outcomes,” said Dino Messina, MD, PhD, FACP, medical director of the center.

“As the safety net for our community, any additional resources garnered from our status as a medical home will help us better serve the most vulnerable patients in Providence and surrounding Rhode Island communities.”  

Facets of patient-centered medical homes include after-hours and online access, shared decision-making and team-based care. Nurse care managers, for example, may work closely with patients who are struggling to manage the complexity of multiple appointments and medications, help coordinate their plan of care, and provide them with the tools needed to reach health-related goals.

The PCMH team approach maximizes efficiency by enabling coordination of care from other providers and community resources. Complications and emergencies are avoided by focusing on prevention and management of chronic conditions. Reducing the need for hospital admissions and ER visits helps to lower costs.

To earn NCQA recognition, practices must meet rigorous standards, including: accommodating patients’ needs during and after hours, providing medical home information, and offering team-based care; collecting and using data to help improve care; using evidence-based guidelines for preventive, acute care, and chronic care management, and helping patients reach their health goals with the support of a nurse care manager; tracking and coordinating tests, referrals, and care transitions; tracking and using medical data for continuous improvement in the quality of care.

“I am very proud of our staff’s outstanding accomplishment in achieving the PCMH designation. For two years, they supported our mission to achieve this recognition, and devoted endless hours of work to reach the goal,” said Ana Dickenson, BSN, RN, program manager for care coordination. “Rhode Island Hospital Center for Primary Care is committed to building on this prestigious acknowledgment, meeting the highest standards and providing our patients top-quality, compassionate, individualized care.”

For more information, click or call Rhode Island Center for Primary Care at 401-444-4741.

The center is at 245 Chapman St., Providence.

About NCQA

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. The National Committee for Quality Assurance web site (www.ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

Christina Spaight O'Reilly

Senior Public Relations Officer
Rhode Island Hospital
401-444-6421
[email protected]