NCQA updates PCMH standards

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has updated its patient-centered medical home (PCMH) recognition standards. Almost 6,800 sites have achieved NCQA recognition, the organization stated. Many payers across the country plan to pay practices a bonus for meeting NCQA standards. In addition, NCQA recognition may be pivotal to future Medicare programs like the complex care management billing code coming in 2015, according to NCQA.

The new standards, which went into effect Monday, include:

• Team-based care is now a “Must Pass” criterion: Practices are required to designate specific roles and responsibilities for care team members. Designated individuals must lead and maintain a practice’s transition into a PCMH.
• Further integration with behavioral health: Practices must establish referral agreements with behavioral health providers if they aren’t part of the practice. Practices must also disclose to patients the range of the behavioral health they offer.
• Sustained transformation: Practices must demonstrate they that will continue to evolve to meet PCMH standards over time. This is primarily done by monitoring quality, access, and other processes of the practice.
• Updated Meaningful Use requirement: The 2014 NCQA certification criteria now requires practices meet Stage 2 meaningful use standards. Previously, NCQA criteria held practices to Stage 1 standards.

Source: NCQA