[January 17, 2013]

New NCQA Certification Program Identifies Medical Home Experts

Today the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) launched a credential program-Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Content Expert Certification-that gives individuals a way to demonstrate their knowledge of the NCQA PCMH Recognition program, the fastest growing delivery system innovation in recent years.

PCMH Content Expert Certification offers PCMH advocates and coaches a way to stand out from their peers by demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of the NCQA PCMH model. The new program gives practices seeking NCQA Recognition as medical homes a way to gauge the qualifications of the growing numbers of consultants and other professionals who often help practices become medical homes.

"Professionals who earn PCMH Content Expert Certification will distinguish themselves as authorities on the most transformative delivery system improvement of the last five years," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "By bringing measurement and transparency to the growing marketplace of consultants that has developed around NCQA's PCMH program, this new service willhelp the medical home model spread and accomplish even more."

About Patient-Centered Medical Homes

Diverse studies show that patient-centered medical homes improve the quality of primary care, as well as patients' and providers' satisfaction.

More practices have transformed into patient-centered medical homes by earning NCQA PCMH Recognition than by following any other medical home model, making NCQA's program the most widely adopted in the country. Since 2008, PCMH Recognition has been NCQA's fastest-growing evaluation program, and last month NCQA recognized its 5,000^th PCMH Recognition.

Become a Certified Content Expert

PCMH Content Expert Certification is available to professionals who complete two rigorous PCMH education seminars and pass a comprehensive exam validating their knowledge of NCQA Recognition standards and guidelines, application procedures, survey processes and documentation requirements.

Successful candidates earn the designation PCMH Certified Content Expert (CCE), a two-year, renewable credential. To bring public exposure to this elite group of PCMH authorities, NCQA will list CCEs on NCQA's Web site.

The Handbook for PCMH Content Expert Certification program has already been downloaded more than 600 times from NCQA's Web site, an early indicator of strong market interest in this new program.

About NCQA

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 is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.

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