Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Survey Field Test for NCQA and AHRQ

What We Did:

MHQP oversaw the implementation of a field test of a new version of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Services Clinician & Group Survey (CG-CAHPS), specifically designed to evaluate Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs).

MHQP managed the recruitment of practices to participate in the field test; executed data use agreements with participating practices; developed the survey protocol, sampling plan, and survey cover materials; provided oversight and management of all survey administration activities; developed a reporting template; and provided participating practices with practice level field test survey results and appropriate benchmarks.

Who Was Involved:

This project was in collaboration with NCQA in fulfillment of the Commonwealth Fund Grant for the project entitled, “Using Patient Feedback in the Certification of Primary Care Practices as Medical Homes.”

Why This Work Matters:

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) continues to gain momentum as a model for improving delivery of primary care. NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition program is the most widely used method for qualifying practices for rewards in multi-payor demonstrations.

NCQA’s original program, however, did not have sufficient emphasis on the “patient’s voice,” and early results questioned whether implementing systematic processes associated with medical home would support improved patient experiences. A number of stakeholders recommended that NCQA consider measures of patient experiences results as part of the PCMH evaluation.  With MHQP’s help, NCQA undertook efforts to incorporate patient and family feedback into requirements for practices seeking PCMH recognition.

Related Resources:

• Read “Development of and Field Test Results for the CAHPS PCMH Survey” from the November 2012 issue of Medical Care