While Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Public Health Commission are inviting Boston-based health care institutions that have demonstrated exceptional achievements in promoting primary care to apply for the 2013 Mayoral Prize for Innovations in Primary Care we are sure if the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center applies they would most likely be in the running for the top prize.
EBNHC recently received the highest level of recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Patient-Centered Medical Home Program (PCMH).
The program promotes care coordination and received a Level Three PCMH distinction from the NCQA. This distinction means that EBNHC met the highest standards, which emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care that supports access, communications and patient involvement.
The EBNHC’s pharmacy fills about 30,000 prescriptions a month with an error rate of .003 percent, a figure that is unheard of in the medical community. The Health Center pharmacies have state-of-the-art robotic technology and skilled staff that has helped EBNHC provides one of the best quality ratings in the country.
EBNHC also launched a new computer and social media program, Connected Living, which will empower seniors to connect with friends and family in the community and around the world.
Connected Living is specifically designed for older adults and new computer users, and teaches participants and their family members how to post photos, share personal messages and talk live over the Internet using Skype.
EBNHC has been a vital part of its community for over 40 years, providing easily accessible, high-quality health care to all who live and work in East Boston and the surrounding communities of Chelsea, Revere, Everett, and Winthrop. EBNHC handles 300,000 patient visits per year – more than any other ambulatory care center in New England.
Now in its fourth year, the prize recognizes organizations that positively impact the delivery of primary care to people in Boston in three different categories: health care settings, the workplace, and community-based settings.
If this is the criteria, we are sure EBSB has a shot at the prize.