Union Square Family Health Center Gets National Recognition

The following was sent by Cambridge Health Alliance:

Cambridge Health Alliance’s Union Square Family Health Center Earns National Recognition

Somerville, Mass. — Cambridge Health Alliance’s Union Square Family Health Center has been identified as an “exemplar practice” by a new national program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation called The Primary Care Team: Learning from Effective Ambulatory Practices (the LEAP Project). Union Square Family Health, located at 337 Somerville Ave. in Somerville, is one of up to 30 sites across the country selected for this distinction, chosen from hundreds of practices that were nominated by primary care experts and rated by a national advisory committee.

The goal of the LEAP Project is to identify and share innovative practices that make primary care more accessible and effective for patients. A LEAP research team will conduct a three-day site visit to understand how Union Square Family Health’s primary care team delivers high quality, patient-centered health care. Information from this research will be used to help the participating sites share best practices and distill their innovations into training and technical assistance materials that can be used by other primary care practices across the U.S.

CHA Union Square Family Health is an advanced medical home practice that uses a team-based system of care to achieve substantial improvements in the health of its patient population. The practice transformed its culture in order to be more patient-centered, with a focus on preventive care and better chronic disease management, including a diabetes treatment program that has seen dramatic results since its inception. Union Square Family Health received the highest level of medical home recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and participates in a statewide medical home demonstration project designed to lower costs and improve care. Additionally, national and international conferences have showcased the practice, with team members invited to present on the processes used to drive its transformation.

“We are deeply proud of our Union Square team for this remarkable accomplishment,” said Gerald Steinberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Cambridge Health Alliance. “We are pleased that our successful work in the development and implementation of our patient-centered medical homes may be a model for thought leaders and stakeholders across the country, and excited with the improvement in our patients' health and experience."

Cambridge Health Alliance is an integrated, award-winning health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s metro-north communities. It includes three hospital campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices, and the Cambridge Public Health Dept. CHA is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine. For more information, visit www.challiance.org.