Northwestern Georgia Health Center and Northwestern Primary Care recently achieved “Patient-Centered Medical Home” recognition through the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

This recognition signifies that the practices are “putting patients at the forefront of care” and using a practice model which research shows improves “quality and patient experience” as well as increasing “staff satisfaction while reducing health care costs.”

“I am so proud of the NMC teams at Northwestern Primary Care and Northwestern Georgia Health Center, and the staff across our organization who support this effort, for recently earning recognition as Patient Centered Medical Homes at both practices,” says CEO Jill Berry Bowen, RN.

Dr. Judy Fingergut, NMC’s Medical Director of Primary Care, said “this was truly a collaborative effort” as she thanked key members of the team who were instrumental in the process, including Sarah DeSilvey, NP, and Haley Klaszky of the practices; Candace Collins of Blueprint for Health; and Karen Garrand and NMC’s Quality team. In the true spirit of continuous improvement, Dr. Fingergut said “the work does not end here” and looked forward to “continued great work from such an engaging team as we continue our journey in transforming our practice.”

As a community, our region is fortunate to be cared for by primary care and pediatric practices who have earned recognition from NCQA (www.ncqa.org), which is a private non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA also recognizes the Northern Tier Center for Health (NOTCH) clinics, St. Albans Primary Care and Cold Hollow Family Practice. Currently, Northwestern Pediatrics is working through the process and it is expected they will be equally successful in demonstrating the patient-centered nature of their care. NMC’s vision includes being “nationally recognized for excellence and value in healthcare” and continuing to earn meaningful recognitions such as “Patient-Centered Medical Home” status from NCQA is a testament to that vision being a reality.