BINGHAM — The Bingham Area Health Center has been recognized by an independent organization that focuses on holding medical practices to high standards.

The health center’s designation as a patient-centered medical home recognizes physician-led medical practices that meet certain criteria that focus on personalized and comprehensive care, according to Apoorva Stull, spokeswoman for the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The Washington D.C.- based non-profit organization currently recognizes 6,762 practices nationwide as patient-centered medical homes, she said.

The criteria for the designation include having written standards for patient access and continuity of care, use of patient feedback materials, use of evidence-based guidelines to treat chronic conditions and use of information technology for prescriptions, tests and referral tracking and coordination with other health care providers. There are three levels of recognition, the highest of which the health center received.

The health center is part of the HealthReach Community Health Centers network, which operates 11 health centers throughout central and western Maine.

“A patient-centered medical home is not a building or doctor,” said Paula Dube, Clinical Quality Improvement Coordinator for HealthReach in a press release Monday. “It is a team of professionals working on your behalf to make sure that all your health needs are met. We use technologies like Patient Portal to better communicate with you and electronic medical records to better coordinate your care.”

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