UnityPoint clinic receives medical home designation

UnityPoint Health's Mount Vernon family clinic has received its medical home designation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

UnityPoint is transforming its primary care practices into the medical home model, which centers on giving patients better access to health care through a team-based approach.

'A medical home emphasizes the importance of an ongoing patient-provider relationship to ensure that an individual's health is managed over time,” said Dr. Patricia Newland, physician lead of the medical home implementation team for UnityPoint Clinic.

Teams, made up of nurses, medical assistants and other staff, work together to provide patients with better care coordination and more education.

Also part of the teams are care coordinators - registered nurses who provide additional education on medication, nutrition, exercise and other topics to a patient.

Health care experts believe the medical home model will improve care quality and lower costs by increasing access to more efficient, coordinated and responsive care.

UnityPoint's Medical District clinic is awaiting a medical home recognition, while medical home implementation is underway at clinics in Northridge, Monticello, Clarence, Tipton and Hiawatha.

UnityPoint clinic in Vinton, Shellsburg and Marion will start the process this summer. The health system hopes to have all 16 of its primary care clinics designated as a medical home by the end of 2015.