Westhampton Primary Care and Shinnecock Indian Health Clinic Earn National Achievement for Patient-Centered Care

Southampton, NY—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has certified Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Westhampton Primary Care at The Christiane and Richard Hiegel Healthcare Center and the Hospital’s Shinnecock Indian Health Clinic as Patient-Centered Medical Homes (Level 3). To earn this national recognition, the certifications culminated 7 months of work that involved re-engineering processes/workflows, quality performance improvement, training, and data collection to meet NCQA standards. NCQA is a private 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to improving healthcare quality and performance measures for a broad range of healthcare entities.

Robert S. Chaloner, Chief Administrative Officer of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital comments, “The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a model of care that aims to transform the delivery of comprehensive primary care to children, adolescents, and adults. The NCQA seal of approval is a widely recognized symbol of quality in health care. We applaud our staff at Westhampton Primary Care and the Shinnecock Indian Health Clinic for their diligence and their commitment to the NCQA standards of superior patient care.”

The Joint Principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home certification—as developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Osteopathic Association—are as follows:

  • Physician-led practice: Patients have access to a personal physician who leads the care team within a medical practice.
  • Whole-person orientation: The care team provides comprehensive care, including acute care, chronic care, preventive services, and end-of-life care, at all stages of life.
  • Integrated and coordinated care: Practices take steps to ensure that patients receive the care and services they need from the medical neighborhood, in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.
  • Focus on quality and safety: Practices use the quality improvement process and evidence-based medicine to continually improve patient outcomes.
  • Access: Practices commit to enhancing patients’ access to care.

To learn more about the National Committee for Quality Assurance, visit www.ncqa.org.