Patient-Centered Medical Home Certification
In 2014, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) certified Student Health as a patient-centered medical home (PCMH).
We were awarded the certification because our provider care teams are uniquely designed to increase patient access to comprehensive health care and wellness resources.
What It Means for Students
All students are assigned to a designated primary care provider and health care team
throughout their time at USC. In addition to the consistency of the primary care provider
assignment, the medical home model focuses on five key aspects of care:
- the patient/provider relationship
- continuity of care
- comprehensiveness of care
- quality of care
- accessibility
Benefits of a Patient/Provider Relationship
Students develop relationships with their medical providers because they have the
same team every time they visit.
Meet Our Care Teams »
A positive patient-provider ensures:
- Health care decisions respect patients’ wants and preferences while
addressing their assessment and treatment needs. - Patients receive the education and support to make personalized choices and participate in their own care.
- Better communication, understanding and collaboration between patient and provider, improving adherence to a mutually agreed upon health care plan.
Continuity is prioritized to ensure more than 50 percent of primary care visits are with the same primary care provider or care team. This means consistency in care management and that your treatment team documents and reviews all important and relevant information in your clinical record. They use a secure integrated electronic health record (EHR) system to facilitate sharing of information.
Comprehensive care enables your primary care provider to optimally address all aspects of your health care needs. Prevention resources, wellness care, acute illness and injury treatment and chronic care management are all available to you. Your care team can also provide referrals to community services as appropriate, provide follow up care and collaborate with the community specialists or allied health professionals to ensure that you receive the best care.
Student Health Services is fully accredited through the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and has been recognized for its outstanding programs, services and quality improvement initiatives. Our delivery method also provides valid and reliable measurement of performance and accountability through peer review and has also been recognized by AAAHC as a model program.
Patients are more likely to take advantage of Student Health Services if its easy to do so. MyHealthSpace appointment scheduling improves timely access to care, with appointments for routine wellness needs, illness treatment and disease management usually available within the same or next business day.