AnonymousThe National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced in May, 2017 that American Indian Health & Services (“AIHS”) of Santa Barbara has received NCQA Patient-Centered Home (PCMH) Level III Recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term, participative relationships.
This is second consecutive time NCQA has awarded AIHS its highest recognition. The NCQA PCMH 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.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from the NCQA for the second consecutive time,” said AIHS Executive Director, Scott Black. “Recognition shows that American Indian Health & Services has a dedicated medical staff, state-of-the-art systems and resources to provide our patients with the right care, at the right time.” To earn recognition, AIHS met 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.
About American Indian Health & Services: American Indian Health & Services (AIHS) is a community healthcare center that provides medical, dental, pediatric and behavioral health services to all members of our community; both Native and non-Native. Founded in 1994 as a Santa Barbara based non-profit, our healthcare center has served the community’s medical needs for over twenty years. AIHS serves approximately 7,000 patients from its location at 4141 State Street. AIHS is not affiliated with, nor does it receive funding from, any tribe or tribal enterprise such as a casino. AIHS is a dually awarded Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC) pursuant to two acts of Congress.
First, AIHS is a designated FQHC through a federal contract with the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A portion of AIHS programs are funded by IHS under Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) and is thus able to provide low or no-cost healthcare services to Native American community members, regardless of tribal affiliation and as defined by the IHCIA. Approximately ninety-five Nations, Rancherias, Tribes and/or Bands defined are represented within the AIHS Native patient population. Second, AIHS is a designated FQHC under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) pursuant to Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. § 254b. The AIHS priority population under HRSA are those families living below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and/or patients who are uninsured or underinsured. Therefore, AIHS also provides low or no-cost healthcare services to non-Native, medically underserved members of the Santa Barbara community. Learn more at www.aihscorp.org.
