Read how a Texas physician and his colleagues leveraged the latest technology, built partnerships between patients and their physicians and engaged patients’ family members in decision-making to transform his group practice into a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH).

For one thing, James L. Holly, M.D., believes  that physicians need to generate computerized reports measuring their current performance against national standards in order to make quality improvements in patient care and practice operations.

Medical Economics reported that “Seven years ago, the practice began publishing quality metrics for each provider on its Web site. The statistics, updated quarterly, show how each physician performs in managing panels of patients.

“Altering the dynamics of patient interactions is also a central component of the medical home model of care. By listening to a patient—and treating the whole person, not simply the disease—a physician can instill a sense of value, or worth, ‘which is the first thing necessary for successful treatment,’ Holly explains.”

Also, in 2008, Dr. Holly and his partners “formalized The SETMA Foundation, which assists eligible patients in covering co-payments and other medical expenses that may hinder them from obtaining care. Each year, the partners have contributed $500,000 to the foundation. The funds are used to provide for the care of SETMA patients, when it is needed, outside the medical group,” Medical Economics reported.