HIV ACCESS PCMH Demonstration Project
Home Improvement Bulletin
December 2013
Here Comes 2014! 
ACA Update
January 1st, 2014 is quickly approaching, and HIV ACCESS and Alameda Health Consortium/Community Health Center Network sites have been working hard to ensure smooth transitions in coverage for patients in Alameda County. As we know, facilitating enrollment in health insurance is a key feature of a patient-centered medical home, particularly in safety net settings. 
 
So far, over 21,000 patients of AHC/CHCN member clinics are poised to successfully transition into the Medi-Cal Expansion in January. This is a major accomplishment! Our health centers are also hard at work helping patients to enroll in eligible health plans through the Covered California insurance marketplace. 
 
HIV ACCESS has also been working with sites to minimize treatment interruptions while many HIV-positive patients transition to new coverage, and to help patients access resources to better afford their care. In particular, the California Office of AIDS Health Insurance Premium Payment program (OA-HIPP) is a key resource for patients enrolling in Covered California.
 
Click here to download guidance to help HIV-positive persons in Alameda County understand health care coverage transitions under the Affordable Care Act (please note that this document reflects information available at the time of the most recent update).
 
PCMH Topics: Patient-Centered Interactions
 
While all aspects of the PCMH model are intended to prioritize the needs and preferences of patients, nowhere is it more apparent than the actual interactions between patients and their care teams and clinics. Patient-centered interactions refer to multiple aspects of care, including
  • Cultural competency (e.g., language spoken, literacy, etc.)
  • Self-management support (e.g., collaborative goal setting)
  • Patient feedback and opportunities to be involved in quality improvement or other clinic activities

While most of us can agree that these things are important to truly patient-centered care, implementing them amid numerous competing priorities can be a challenge. Setting the stage for patient-centered interactions requires much forethought and a clear understanding of the patient population. However, with sufficient attention to the issues described above, we can ensure patients are as engaged in their own health care as possible. 

 

For more information on patient-centered interactions, check out the following resources:

 

Safety Net Medical Home Initiative: Patient-Centered Interactions

 

American Academy of Family Physicians: Patient Self-Management

 

Institute for Healthcare Improvement: HIV/AIDS -- Self-Management and Adherence

 

National Center for Cultural Competence 

 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Self-Management Support

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In This Bulletin
Affordable Care Act Update
PCMH Topics: Patient-Centered Interactions
Webinar Recap: Supporting Engagement and Retention
 
Assistance with PCMH Applications is available for AHC/CHCN Clinics

PCMH Project staff are available to assist AHC/CHCN health centers applying for NCQA PCMH Recognition. We can help you to:
  • Clarify NCQA PCMH 2011 Standards and documentation requirements
  • Review a selection of documents, including all Must Pass Elements, to verify they are sufficient and appropriately labeled
  • Provide feedback on potential opportunities to improve your score before submission
Contact Project Coordinator Megan Crowley at 510.297.0425 or [email protected] to get started! 
The PCMH model can help address patient retention
On December 13th, the HIV ACCESS PCMH Project, the Owen Clinic at UC San Diego, and the HIV Medical Homes Resource Center (MHRC) collaborated on a webinar in a series on HIV medical homes, entitled Supporting Engagement and Retention in Care Using the PCMH Model.
 
This webinar explored how the PCMH model can enhance efforts to engage and retain patients in care. The facilitators walked the audience through how PCMH building blocks can address the various pieces of the Gardner Cascade, and presented case studies of how two HIV primary care sites have worked to improve retention. Lastly, the webinar addressed the pros and cons of having a dedicated retention specialist, compared with shared responsibility among the entire care team.
 
You can view the webinar recording or download the presentation slides here
Next Steering Committee Meeting: 2014

 

PCMH Demonstration Project Steering Committee meetings will be on hiatus until February 2014. Stay tuned for more details in January!

Want to know more about the PCMH Project?

 

For more information about our program, check out our webpage.

 

To view past Home Improvement Bulletins and Voices from the Field videos, please visit our Communications Archive.

 

For more information on our grant, view California HIV/AIDS Research Program's website.

 

Check out our Evernote Notebook, which we've compiled to keep track of all the tools, articles, and other PCMH-
related resources we've come across. For help finding a resource, or to suggest an addition to the Notebook, contact
Megan Crowley.

Contact Us:
 

Erin Gael Friedman, Project Director

[email protected]

 

Megan Crowley, Project Coordinator

[email protected]

 

Dan Clanon, IT Systems Specialist

[email protected]

 

Lois Bailey Lindsey, HIV Program Director

[email protected]

 

Kathleen Clanon MD, Principal Investigator

[email protected]

View our videos on YouTube