HealthNet Becomes First in Indiana to Receive Primary Care Medical Home Designation from The Joint Commission
10/12/2012
HealthNet is the first health care organization in Indiana and is among only 30 in the nation to earn The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety as a Primary Care Medical Home (PCMH) under The Joint Commission’s ambulatory health care program.
To earn this designation, HealthNet underwent a rigorous unannounced on-site survey the week of August 7, 2012. A team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated HealthNet staff for compliance with standards related to how effectively the primary care clinician and the interdisciplinary team worked in partnership with the patient to provide comprehensive, coordinated, and patient-centered care.
“Organizations that pursue the PCMH option from The Joint Commission are demonstrating the highest commitment to delivering primary care in a comprehensive, coordinated and accessible model,” says Michael Kulczycki, executive director, Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program, The Joint Commission. “I commend HealthNet for successfully achieving this pinnacle, and for its dedication to continually improving patient care.”
The Joint Commission’s PCMH option helps accredited ambulatory care organizations ensure that their patients receive timely and appropriate treatment, that patient satisfaction is increased, that patient outcomes improve, and that overall costs to the health care system are reduced.
Patients also benefit from increased access to the services of the clinician and the interdisciplinary team. The care received is tracked and coordinated among facilities and patient education and self-management is encouraged.
In addition to achieving PCMH status, HealthNet also achieved ambulatory care and laboratory re-accreditation. Nationally, only 267 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) have been accredited by The Joint Commission. HealthNet is the first and only FQHC in Indiana to earn this designation.
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,300 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,500 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission currently certifies more than 2,000 disease-specific care programs, such as ones focused on stroke, heart disease, and joint replacement. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
HealthNet has been consecutively reaccredited by the JCAHO since 1997. Since 1968, HealthNet (http://www.indyhealthnet.org) has been a mainstay in the Indianapolis community. Through its network of community-based health centers, an OB/GYN care center, a pediatric and adolescent care center, a maternal-fetal medicine center and five school-based clinics, HealthNet annually serves over 51,500 individuals and families. Many of them are uninsured or underinsured and live below the federal poverty level. HealthNet services include: primary and preventive health care; OB-GYN support and coaching for expectant mothers; Healthy Families and Better Indy Babies; dental services; Homeless Initiative Program; counseling, outreach and social service programs. HealthNet’s health centers include Barrington Health & Dental Center, Eastside Health Center, Martindale-Brightwood Health & Dental Center, People’s Health & Dental Center, Southeast Health & Dental Center, Southwest Health & Dental Center, the Care Center at the Tower, the Pediatric and Adolescent Care Center and the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center. HealthNet is Indiana’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center and is an affiliate of IU Health.
Media Contact: Kay Johnson, (317) 957-2018