News

Health agency honored for patient-centered care

By Bill Moss, Published: June 12, 2015

Blue Ridge Community Health Services has received an award for quality patient-centered care.

The health agency received the recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long‐term, participative relationships for all of the organization’s eligible sites, the National Committee for Quality Assurance announced.

The NCQA PCMH is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients’ experience of care and reduce costs. BRCHS medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each BRCHS patient has their care overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.

“This recognition from NCQA confirms our ability to provide high-quality care that emphasizes access, health information technology and care coordination that focuses on patient experience,” said Chief Medical Officer Richard Hudspeth. “We are grateful to a strong team, led by Michelle Hogsed, RN, MSN, Director of Quality and Compliance, for their hard work on this initiative. The recognition we have received demonstrates that Blue Ridge Community Health Services has the tools, systems and resources to live out its mission, to provide quality healthcare that is accessible and affordable for all.”

This newest recognition is the third award of this nature that BRCHS has received. BRCHS is accredited by the Joint Commission for Ambulatory Care. This was followed in the last year with The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for demonstrating compliance with national standards for health care quality and safety as a primary care medical home. BRCHS is the only health care provider in WNC to have achieved all three of these accreditations for quality and compliance. The recognition the organization has received serves as strong evidence that the BRCHS mission is ahead of the curve in the current, shifting health care landscape.

The agency provides services Hendersonville at Blue Ridge Health Center and Hendersonville Family Health Center; in Brevard at Brevard Health Center; in Arden, at Arden Health Center; in Spindale at Rutherford Health Center, and at four Henderson County public schools.