Patient-Centered Medical Home
The PCMH was best described by Sir William Osler in the late1890s, “It is more important to know what sort of patient has a disease than what sort of disease a patient has.” In 1967, the term was introduced by the American Academy of Pediatrics as a model for special needs children. Since then, it has been adopted by all the major primary care medical societies as the model for modern health care. In 2007, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Society of Osteopathic Medicine and American Academy of Pediatrics outlined 7 principles that describe a community-based and culturally sensitive model of primary care that ensures every patient has a personal physician who guides a team of health professionals to provide the patient with accessible, coordinated, comprehensive and continuous health care across all stages of life. Essentially, the PCMH strives to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place. In order to qualify, we had to pass rigorous standards set by the National Committee of Quality Assurance. After a year of preparation, we were awarded our recognition in July 2009
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