Patient-Centered Care

The Institute of Medicine defines ”patient-centeredness” as health care that establishes a partnership among practitioners, patients and their families (when appropriate). Its purpose is to “ensure that decisions respect patients’ wants, needs, and preferences, and that patients have the education and support they require to make decisions and participate in their own care.”

Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative
A coalition of major employers, consumer groups, primary care physician organizations and others, the PCPCC was created in 2006 to facilitate improvements in patient-provider relations, and create a more effective and efficient model of health care delivery.

To achieve these goals, the Collaborative has become a major developer and advocate of the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model. This model combines a series of principles that result in primary care that is accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective. Perhaps the principle most relevant to FIMDM is that “patients actively participate in decision-making, and feedback is sought to ensure patients’ expectations are being met.”