NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home™ standards emphasize enhanced care through patient-clinician partnership
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced that Healthy Connections, Inc., clinics in Mena, Hot Springs, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Mount Ida, and De Queen have received NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long‐term, participative relationships.
The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients’ experience of care and reduce costs. Medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians, instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient’s care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.
The Healthy Connections Montgomery County Community Clinic in Mount Ida (534 Luzerne St.) previously earned this recognition. Other clinics now recognized include:
Appointments for these clinics can be made by calling toll free (888) 710-8220.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from NCQA,” said Tony Calandro, CEO of Healthy Connections. “This is a testament to the mission of Healthy connections to provide outstanding, compassionate care to the patients we serve.”
Healthy Connections has three of Arkansas’ 13 PCMH Certified Content Experts on its staff, including Michelle Gibson, RN; Amanda Barrett, LPN, and Rachel Tomaskovic, RN.
To earn recognition, Healthy Connections demonstrated the ability to meet the program’s key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards aligned with the joint principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association.
Over the past 21 years, Healthy Connections has become a lot of things to the communities it services, including primary care/family medicine provider, dentist, pediatrician, or medical specialist. But mostly it is a place all people can go to receive quality care regardless of their ability to pay.
Healthy Connections accepts Medicaid, including ARKids 1st, Medicare and most private health insurances. There are also appointment openings for all patients, sometimes even same-day, at all of the clinics. As a Federally-Qualified Health Center, Healthy Connections providers treat thousands of patients each year who have no insurance or not enough insurance to cover essential health and dental services. This is done as part of a sliding-fee schedule, which is determined by the total family income of the patient. Qualified applicants can receive treatment at a reduced rate.
For more information, visit www.healthy-connections.org.
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’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s Web site (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
Join Healthy Connections Pediatrics Clinic at the Garland County Library for Pediatrics 101 at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 1.
Jeremy Porter, MD, and Nicole Meggers, LCSW, will present information related to the Garland County Library’s most requested topic: Pediatrics Behavioral Health. Porter and Meggers will talk about behavioral health issues for children that adults may not have thought to be so common. Typically, parents and caregivers don’t talk to pediatricians about behavioral health issues until the children are having problems with performance at school our trouble with relationships, peers, or authority. Or the parents are at the “end of their rope” and looking for answers.
Porter will explain issues, symptoms, and signals to some common and uncommon behavioral problems. He will offer solutions and information every caregiver will benefit from. Porter said, “We are all people, but somehow children’s emotional difficulties can be unexpected by adults.” Porter is also comfortable speaking Spanish for parents and children whose primary language is not English.
Meggers, who is a licensed clinical social worker and children’s psychotherapist, will then have a Q&A to answer any questions you may have.
In order to attend, you have to reserve your spot. Please visit this link to sign up.
Congratulations to our Healthy Connections September Employees of the Month:
• East: Celene Viana
• West: Dana Logan
As Employees of the Month, they are entitled to either a $50 gift card or one day off.
Celene and Dana exemplify the Healthy Connections pillars of Excellence, Compassion, and Community.
Celene is a LPN at the Hot Springs Central Clinic, while Dana is a phlebotomist in Mena.
Check out what one of Celene’s co-workers had to say about her:
- “Celene is a team player. She is asked to do anything and everything and she is always willing to go above and beyond without push back.”
And what some of Dana’s co-workers had to say about her
- “Dana is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and THE nicest co-worker. She always has a positive attitude and a smile on her face. If she is having a bad day I promise you will never know it. She is the first to volunteer when we need help cleaning the clinic and she does it with a grateful heart. We need more Dana’s in the world.”
“Dana is always courteous. Keeps a smile on her face and always helpful.”
“Loves to work, enjoys helping others and is a hard-working mother.”
Do you know who should be our next Healthy Connections Employees of the Month? Submit your nomination at www.healthy-connections.org/nominate.
Healthy Connections is proud to welcome the services of Pittman Moore, MDPittman Moore, MD, to our clinics in Arkadelphia and Hot Springs.
Dr. Moore specializes in women’s health, gynecology, minimally-invasive surgery, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. He will see patients at Healthy Connections Arkadelphia and the Compassion Women’s Clinic, both at 301 Professional Park Drive in Arkadelphia. He will also see patients in Hot Springs at 3604 Central Avenue. To schedule appointments, call Healthy Connections toll free at (888) 710-8220.
“I’m excited to be here. I feel like this is exactly where I need to be.” Dr. Moore said.
He comes to Arkadelphia and Hot Springs after spending the past four years in Clarksville. He will see patients three days each week in Arkadelphia and one day in Hot Springs.
Through the Compassion Women’s Clinic in Arkadelphia, Dr. Moore will provide comprehensive gynecologic care and women’s health services, including well-woman care, infertility, and 3D ultrasounds. He will also treat endometriosis and perform hysteroscopy, endometrial ablation, cystoscopy, and pelvic floor reconstruction via minimally-invasive advanced laparoscopic surgery.
Dr. Moore’s other specialty is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy done with BioTE, which uses pellets inserted into the hip at periodic times throughout the year. This treats a hormone imbalance in both men and women. Some of the symptoms of hormone imbalance in women include fatigue, foggy thinking, excessive intolerance to exercise, lethargic depression, and anxious depression. In men, the symptoms can include fatigue, insomnia, weight gain, brain fog, decrease in sexual performance, inability to maintain muscle mass, depression and anxiety.
“I’ve had tremendous results associated with it,” he said.
Healthy Connections is a Mena-based nonprofit organization serving the needs of children and adults throughout West-Central Arkansas. Since its founding in 1998 as a home-visiting program, Healthy Connections has been able to provide much-needed health, dental and social services to families of every lifestyle.
Healthy Connections accepts Medicaid, including ArKids First, Medicare and most forms of health and dental insurance. However, no person will be turned away for lack of insurance. Qualified families will be charged according to their total family income and total persons living in the household. This sliding scale fee allows many to receive treatment who otherwise would not have been able to afford it.
There are currently 11 clinics located in Mena, Hot Springs, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Mount Ida, and De Queen providing primary care/family medicine. Depending on location, Healthy Connections also offers dental, behavioral health, cardiology, pediatrics, podiatry, chiropractic, physical therapy, and OB/GYN women’s services.
Learn more at www.healthy-connections.org.
Congratulations to our Healthy Connections August Employees of the Month:
- West: Mary Smith
- East: Andrea Pilcher, LPN
As Employees of the Month, they are entitled to either a $50 gift card or one day off.
Mary and Andrea exemplify the Healthy Connections pillars of Excellence, Compassion, and Community. Mary works in the Business Office in Mena, while Andrea works at the Hot Springs Central clinic.
Check out what Mary’s co-workers had to say about her:
- “She works very hard to keep all the finances up and running. She really holds the whole department together.”
And what Andrea’s co-workers had to say about her:
- “Over the past month, our clinic has had to adjust to being open five days a week. Our clinic is already short-handed when it comes to nurses and Andrea has stepped up to volunteer to work five days a week. Because she is working with multiple providers, Andrea comes in early and stays late most days to ensure her patient care is complete. Although this transition has been difficult at times, Andrea consistently vows to put the patients first and work hard to ensure her providers are taken care of.”
- “We have been low staffed this month and she has done an amazing job of working with the team and working her hardest each and every day, even when others were not. She shows compassion and care for the patients and works well with the rest of the staff!”
Do you know who should be our next Healthy Connections Employees of the Month? Submit your nomination at www.healthy-connections.org/nominate.
Healthy Connections will now have Friday clinic hours at six Arkansas locations.
In order to increase accessibility and the overall experience for patients, clinics in Mena, Hot Springs, Malvern, Mount Ida, and De Queen are now open to see family medical and primary care patients on Fridays.
The Friday clinics will be:
- Mena, 136 Health Park Lane, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Hot Springs, 102 Chippewa Court, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Hot Springs, 3604 Central Avenue, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Malvern Clinic, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Mount Ida (Montgomery County Community Clinic), 534 Luzerne Street, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
- DeQueen, 1367 W. Collin Raye Drive, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Call (888) 710-8220 for an appointment. All clinics accept most forms of medical insurance, Medicaid and Medicare; however, no person will be turned away for lack of insurance. Qualified families will be charged according to their total family income (please see our discounted medical & dental care program page for details). Enrollment assistance is also available for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
Note that specialty services, dental, behavioral health, and some imaging services may not be available during this time. Acute pediatrics patients will be seen at the adult medicine clinics in Hot Springs and DeQueen.
Healthy Connections operates 10 clinics, including three school-based health centers, in Arkansas. For more information, visit www.healthy-connections.org.
