BHB introduces Patient-Centred Medical Home

24 January 2017: Bermuda Hospitals Board has invested in a pilot project to help combat the impact of chronic disease including cost. The Patient-Centred Medical Home (PCMH) programme is an outpatient referral service for individuals with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, who are not currently seeing a GP and who are under- or uninsured.

“The goal is to keep this at-risk group as healthy as possible and help them manage their chronic diseases,” said BHB CEO Venetta Symonds. “This will help reduce emergency department visits, hospitalisations and complications, such as amputation and dialysis, which impact quality of life and are costly to the healthcare system.”

Patients require a medical referral to receive the service. Medical Director of the Programme Dr Stanley James said these referrals will likely come from GPs, the Emergency Department and the hospitalist service.

The pilot programme began on Monday 7 November. It will run for a year, at which time it will be assessed and a decision made on modifications or continuation.

To date, there are 28 patients registered with the service.

“These patients have complex chronic health conditions and the length of each of their visits correlates to the complexity of their medical and social needs. The complex nature of these patients is served by the cooperation of various healthcare providers—pharmacists, dedicated medical social workers, consultants, along with laboratory and diagnostic facilities that are readily available onsite,” said Dr James. “This approach increases these patients’ adherence to their treatment regimen and also decreases the likelihood that they will fall between the cracks.

“With regularly scheduled follow-up calls and return-to-clinic visits, we are better able to provide reassurance to patients, as well as assess compliance early in their journey towards control of their chronic conditions.”

The Patient-Centred Medical Home is staffed by a team of four: Medical Director Dr Stanley James, Nurse Practitioner Myrian Balitian-Dill, Staff Nurse Cheryl Maronie and Administrator Karen Henry. The service is located on the ground floor of the KEMH General Wing.

Notes to Editors
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is a quango (quasi autonomous non-governmental organisation) established under the Bermuda Hospitals Board Act, 1970. It has a Bermuda Government-approved Board and a Chief Executive Officer, responsible for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. At the heart of both organisations is high quality care to all patients.

With approximately 1,700 employees, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is Bermuda’s second largest employer. King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute are the only healthcare organisations in Bermuda accredited by Accreditation Canada, an independent organisation whose role is to help hospitals examine and improve the quality of care and service they provide to their clients. In addition to providing an extensive list of services for the community, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is part of a referral network that includes some of the world’s leading specialist hospitals.

For more information, please visit www.bdahospitaldev.wpengine.com or contact the Bermuda Hospitals Board Public Relations Department at publicrelations@bhb.bm.

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