Total Family Care of the Five Towns and Rockaway, PC (TFC) has been awarded NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition Level 3 for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long‐term, participative relationships. This milestone was announced by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and Dr. Hylton Lightman, TFC president.

The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a care delivery model whereby the primary care physician coordinates treatment to ensure patients receive the necessary care when and where they need it, in a manner they understand. PCMH fosters continuity of care through ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians; this is instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient’s care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system. Research demonstrates that patient-centered medical homes increase patients’ satisfaction with delivery of care and their overall health while lowering costs.

“NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology and coordinated care focused on patients,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Recognition shows that Total Family Care has the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time.”

To earn recognition, which is valid for three years, Dr. Lightman and the TFC team demonstrated the ability to meet the program’s key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards aligned with the joint principles of the PCMH established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association.

“PCMH recognition means that we are assuring that TFC patients receive the best health care combined with the best patient experience,” says Dr. Lightman. “Drs. Joseph Kaplovitz and Joy Nagelberg and the TFC team, including the outstanding specialists to whom we refer, make sure that every TFC patient is put first.” 

Dr. Lightman and his associates have been providing pediatric, adolescent and family care in the Five Towns, Far Rockaway and Long Island’s South Shore since 1987. The practice is known for delivering outstanding health care and for their ability to accurately diagnose and determine the most effective treatments. Their unique knowledge has been shaped by years on the front line of pediatrics, combined with outstanding education and training.

“Because we are responsible for the life of every child who walks into our office, we address the spectrum of each patient’s needs – physical, psychosocial, developmental, educational, and emotional,” says Dr. Lightman. “We value each human life and get to know every patient and listen to the thoughts and concerns of each child, as well as the parent or caregiver. The TFC team stays the course, providing continuity of care, compassionate care and coordinating care. PCMH enhances this.” 

NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS^®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s web site (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.