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January 14, 2011 Nurse-Managed Health Centers Designated Medical Homes by NCQA Washington, DC (January 14, 2011) – Testifying to the strength of advanced practice nursing, the reality of primary care shortages, and the impact of advocacy efforts in Pennsylvania, eight member sites of the National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC) and Pennsylvania’s Chronic Care Initiative were recognized as patient-centered medical homes by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The designation signaled a significant change by the committee which previously did not identify nurse-managed health centers as medical homes. NNCC Chief Executive Officer Tine Hansen-Turton, an Edge Runner, is a prominent example of the influence of the American Academy of Nursing’s Raise the Voice (RTV) campaign, touting the benefits of nurse-managed health centers on a host of panels and forums. Edge Runners, the centerpiece of RTV, consist of more than 40 nurse-led models of care that provide concrete solutions to health care challenges, demonstrating positive clinical and financial outcomes. NNCC is a national network of 250 nurse-managed health centers nationwide, many of them associated with schools of nursing, serving 2.5 million patients across the United States. “The NCQA recognition is an indication of the great work nurse-managed clinics do around the country. I am confident that NCQA’s decision combined with new funding for nurse-managed health centers created through health care reform will help these clinics make high quality, affordable primary care more accessible to the underserved,” said Hansen-Turton. “It is also my hope that NCQA’s recognition will encourage other federal and state policy makers to take similar steps to ensure that the nurse-managed model is fully supported in other areas of law and regulation. Only then will nurse-managed clinics reach their full potential as primary care providers.” Led by former Pennsylvania Governor and current RTV Advisory Council Chair Edward Rendell, the Raise the Voice campaign focused on nurse-led innovations in Pennsylvania during his introductory event last spring at the National Press Club. An aim of the second phase of the campaign is to scale up nurse-led innovations and break down barriers prohibiting nurses from practicing to the full scope of their education. For more information on NNCC visit http://www.aannet.org/files/public/Nurse_Managed_Health_template%20_1-10_edits.pdf For more information on the 11th Street Family Health Services visithttp://www.aannet.org/files/public/11thStreetFamilyHelthSvcs_template.pdf ### |