Bethesda Family Practice Recognized as Patient Centered Medical Home

Bethesda Family Practice, a TriHealth Physician Partner, has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for achieving the highest status attainable as a Patient Centered Medical Home.

The level III status means that Bethesda Family Practice met or exceeded every performance standard measured by the NCQA to assess whether physician practices are functioning as Medical Homes.

“Our physicians, residents and fellows at Bethesda Family Practice worked hard to transform our patients’ relationship with our practice. We focus on patients as a whole individual and engage them in their health care instead of episodic treatment of an illness or condition,” said Jonathan Sorscher MD MSEd, Medical Director for the Bethesda Family Medicine Residency Program.

Bethesda Family Practice becomes the first family medcine residency program in Ohio to be recognized under the most recent 2011 standards.

“Training residents using the Patient Centered Medical Home model means TriHealth is actively engaged in keeping the next generation of physicians ahead of the curve,” said Lorraine Stephens MD, Program Director for the Bethesda Family Medicine Residency Program. “Our program has a history of setting a national example for residency programs, and this recognition confirms that.”

The Bethesda Family Medicine Residency Program is the number one publishing community-based family medicine program in the nation. They have produced 77 publications, 54 published residents, and 25 research awards. The program has six residents in each year (18 total) and two sports medicine fellows. There are seven faculty covering a range of specialties, including obstetrics, internal medicine, practice management, research, sports medicine and psychology and behavioral medicine.

The Medical Home model provides participating primary care physicians additional reimbursement for coordinating the care of their patients with hospitals, specialists and pharmacists. This additional reimbursement allows physicians and staff to invest in better support for their patients who will benefit from active participation in their health and wellness through their lifetime.  Medical Home practices help patients with care management, and expect their parents to focus on disease prevention and maintaining good health.

With this addition, TriHealth now has 31 physician practices with a Level III status.