First HackensackUMC Practice Achieves Highest Level of Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Certification

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The Center for Healthy Senior Living, the office-based geriatric faculty practice at Hackensack University Medical Center, has attained Level 3 Certification from the Physician Practice Connections-Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) program by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

“It is an honor to receive such a high level of distinction from the National Committee for Quality Assurance,” said Robert C. Garrett, president and chief executive officer of HackensackUMC. “As we move toward the model of accountable care organizations, our physicians are staying ahead of the curve by providing patient-centered medical care. This PCMH designation is a reflection of the adoption of this model of care.”

The Center for Healthy Senior Living, located across the street from HackensackUMC at 5 Summit Avenue, serves more than 800 patients with a staff of four board-certified geriatricians, a registered nurse and two medical secretaries. This was the first time the medical center applied for PCMH accreditation, and it took nearly eight months to complete the extensive application process for PCMH rating.

“We are very honored to have received the highest level of PCMH recognition,” said Julius Gardin, M.D., chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine. “As the first geriatrics practice within HackensackUMC to have achieved this honor, we are confident that the Center for Healthy Senior Living will lead the way for other patient-centered practices to gain accreditation.”

PCMH accreditation is considered one of the leading standards of measuring a medical facility’s commitment to patient-centered practice using evidence-based procedures.  To gain recognition by the PCMH program, medical clinicians or sites must go through a rigorous application process and are  evaluated on a set of standardized points, established by a 22-member committee comprised of practice, medical association, physician group, health plan, consumer and employer group representatives.

If an applicant receives PCMH distinction, they are designated an award level of Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 - with Level 3 being the most prestigious - based upon total points received. The measurement standards are established in conjunction with the principles of the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association. Among the criteria measured for each applicant are: whether there are written standards for patient access and enhanced communications; the use of charting tools and tracking of patients’ progress, referrals and test results; emphasis on preventive care; sensitivity to patients’ cultural and linguistic needs; and the use of evidence-based guidelines to treat chronic conditions.

“The team at the Center for Healthy Senior Living demonstrates the benchmark of evidence-basedpatient-centered care, which focuses on highly-coordinated care across the continuum of care (inpatient, outpatient, assisted living, sub-acute, and long-term). This promotes partnerships between individual patients and personal clinicians and, in turn, fosters common goals for health maintenance to impact the quality of life for our patients,” said Lisa Tank, M.D., chief of the Division of Geriatrics.

“This PCMH Level 3 Distinction is not only a testament to the staff at the Center for Healthy Senior Living, but is also a testament to HackensackUMC’s dedication to geriatric care,” added Dr. Gardin.

About Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center is a 775-bed not-for-profit, tertiary care, teaching and research hospital and provides the largest number of admissions in New Jersey. Founded in 1888 with 12 beds and as Bergen County's first hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center has demonstrated more than a century of growth and progress. Hackensack University Medical Center is a nationally recognized healthcare organization offering patients the most comprehensive services, state-of-the-art technologies, and facilities. Honors include being named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals by HealthGrades® for five years in a row. Hackensack University Medical Center is the only hospital in New Jersey, New York, and New England to receive this honor for five consecutive years. Hackensack University Medical Center was also named one of the 50 Best Hospitals in America by Becker's Hospital Review. U.S. News & World Report ranked Hackensack University Medical Center eighth in the New York Metro Area in its first-ever Best Hospitals metro area rankings, giving it the top ranking out of all the New Jersey hospitals listed. Additionally, Hackensack University Medical Center has been ranked in geriatrics, heart and heart surgery, and cancer in U.S. News & World Report's 2011-12 Best Hospitals. The U.S. News Media Group also named the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital to its “2011-12 Best Children’s Hospitals” list – ranking as one of the top 50 in the specialty of neurology and neurosurgery – the first hospital in the State of New Jersey ever to be ranked in a Best Children’s Hospitals specialty. Hackensack University Medical Center is a Magnet® recognized hospital for nursing excellence, first in New Jersey, second in the nation, receiving its fourth designation in April 2009. Hackensack University Medical Center is the hometown hospital of the New York Giants and the New Jersey Nets.

About NCQA

Celebrating its 20^th anniversary in 2010, NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.

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