Patient-Centered Medical Home

As the march of life carries forward, many adults in today’s society struggle to find a balance between their obligations and personal healthcare needs. As a part of a larger effort across Tennessee amongst multiple disciplines, the Department of Medicine is dedicated to the task of becoming a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). Originally developed for patients with TennCare insurance, a PCMH designation is provided to medical facilities that meet several criteria focused on improving quality of care to the underserved by overcoming barriers more prevalent in these communities.

Work schedules of the patients themselves represent one such barrier, thus, the UT Internal Medicine Center has now made appointments available outside of normal business hours to provide additional options to those with busy schedules. Even with expanded appointment times, patients from these communities often experience challenges of transportation and financial struggles in receiving their care. In light of this, the clinic has recruited additional case management staff to assist more patients in the outpatient setting with these matters. Meeting yet another criterion for PCMH designation, a newly implemented multidisciplinary group huddle has been established within the clinic to anticipate and discuss any special considerations before a busy clinic schedule gets underway.

Lastly, among the many other requirements unable to be discussed at length, the dedication to self-conducted quality improvement must be emphasized to achieve PCMH status in the state of Tennessee. At present, there are multiple quality improvement projects underway within the UT Internal Medicine Center and this requirement has only furthered resident and faculty interest in this cause. In closing, the Department of Medicine would like to thank Dr. Juli Williams, Kay Rangnekar, and Shelby Moses for their efforts in pursuit of the prestigious PCMH designation.