Mill Valley Doctor Recognized as Highest Level Patient-Centered Medical Home

Curtis F. Robinson MD, Inc., local Mill Valley family medicine office, is the first medical practice in Marin County to achieve national recognition as a Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home, the highest level, by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA.) Patient-centered medical home is an innovative, new model of care designed to provide patients with higher quality health care by giving them more access to their primary care practitioner, improving teamwork among health care professionals and using effective medical technology.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. Participation in the NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home 2011 program is completely voluntary. Dr. Robinson’s participation underscores his commitment to being on the cutting edge of health care in providing primary care to residents of Marin County and the San Francisco Bay Area.  

Dr. Robinson’s patient-centered services include same-day and walk-in appointments, a patient portal that allows patients to communicate with the office and access their medical record, high-quality care for chronic medical conditions, enhanced opportunities for patient involvement in the office’s quality improvement process and other services designed to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs.

“Implementing patient-centered medical homes and making the relationship between patients and their primary care doctor central to the health care experience will improve the overall quality of health care while keeping costs down.” Dr. Robinson stated after learning of the NCQA recognition award.

Patient-centered care is at the forefront of health care politics and is referred to in the Accountable Care Act thirty-four times. The program is part of the larger national health care movement to evaluate health care services in terms of quality and costs of the care provided rather than volume. The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home 2011 program reflects the input of the American College of Physicians (ACP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American Osteopathic Association (AOA.)

The office hired a fulltime quality manager to make the extensive application process possible amid the many administrative demands faced by primary care medical offices. “My responsibilities include managing the quality assurance program from administrative, clinical and financial perspectives in order to improve quality of care at a lower cost.” said Rachel Linkous, Quality Manager for the Mill Valley primary care office.

The staff at Curtis F. Robinson MD, Inc. is enthusiastic about the recognition by the NCQA and will continue to provide the highest quality care possible. More information about NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home and Dr. Robinson’s office can be found at www.ncqa.org or by contacting Rachel Linkous, quality manager, at rachel@drcurtisrobinson.com.