Patient Centered Medical Home

Welcome to your Medical Home

When it comes to Healthcare, you are seeking wellness, recovering from illness or managing a chronic condition. It is a cycle of staying well, getting well. If you deal with these health situations in a long term relationship with a trusted Medical Provider, then you've found your child's patient centered medical home.

Think about it. Your personal provider and extended team of health professionals build a relationship in which they know you, your family situation, your child's medical history and health issues. In turn, you come to trust and rely on them for expert, evidence- based health care answers that are suited entirely to you and your family.

A Medical home is all about you and your child

Caring about your child is the most important job of your Patient Centered Medical Home. In this personal model of health care, your primary provider leads the team of health care professionals that collectively take responsibility for your child's care. They make sure your child gets the care he/she needs in wellness and illness to heal their body, mind and spirit.

The Medical home advantage

There are many benefits to being in a Medical Home

Comprehensive care means your medical home helps you address any health issue at any stage of your child's life.
Coordination of care occurs when any combination of services you and your provider decide your child needs are connected and ordered in a rational way, including the use of resources in your community.
Continuous care occurs over time and you can expect continuity in accurate, effective and timely communication from any member of your health care team
Accessible care allows you to initiate the interaction you need for any health issue with a physician or other team member through your desired method (office visit, phone call, or by electronic mail) and you can expect elimination of barriers to the access of care and instruction by obtaining care during and after office hours.
Pro-active care ensures that you and your provider will build a care plan to address your child's health care goal and keep your child well, plus be available for your child when he/she gets sick.

Who is your Medical Home Team?

Your team may include a doctor, nurse practitioner, licensed practice nurse, medical assistant or health educator, as well as other health professionals. These professionals work together to help your child get healthy, stay healthy, and get the care and services that are right for your child. When needed, your child/'s personal doctor arranges for appropriate care with qualified specialists.

We want to learn about you

We want to get to know you, and your family, your life situation, and preferences, and suggest treatments that make sense for your child.
We want to treat you like a full partner in your child's care.
We want to communicate effectively with you.
We want to give you time to ask questions and we want to answer them in a way you understand.
We want to make sure you know and understand all of your child's options for care.
We want to help you decide what care is best for your child. Sometimes more care is not better care. We want to ask you for feedback about your child's care experience.

We want to support you in caring for your child.

We want to make sure you develop a clear idea of how to care for your child.
We want to help you set goals for your child's care and help you meet your goals one step at a time.
We want to encourage you to fully participate in recommended preventive screenings and services.
We want to give you information about classes, support groups, or other types of services to help you learn more about your child's condition and stay healthy.

Here is what you can do

Actively participate in your child's care

You are the most important member of the medical home team.

Understand that you are a full partner in your child's healthcare
Learn about your child's condition and what you can do to keep them as healthy as possible
As best you can, follow the care plan that you and your medical team have agreed is important for your child's health

Communicate with your Medical Home team

Bring a list of questions to each appointment. Also bring a list of any medications, vitamins, or remedies your child uses.
If you don't understand something your doctor or other team member of your medical home team says, ask them to explain it in a different way.
If your child gets care from other health Professionals, always tell your medical home team so they can help coordinate for the best care possible.
Talk openly with your care team about your experience in getting care from the medical home so they can keep making your care better.