FAQ Directory

No. The ACFP tool is a helpful resource for practices to use when considering and managing panel sizes. If the practice prefers to use another method that is perfectly acceptable if it performs the same function.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

The intent of AC 01 is to assess the access needs and preferences of the practice’s patient population. To identify the best way to obtain this information, practices may need to review how they are currently collecting patient feedback on access needs. For example, a patient survey may ask patients if they are able to get an appointment when needed; however, that question doesn't tell you when patients want to access the practice. The practice may be offering access when the majority of patients don't or aren't able to utilize it.
Practices should collect and assess the feedback from patients to see if there's a need to adjust the access provided to patients. Some questions to   consider include:

1. What data are you already collecting on patient access (e.g. surveys, use of appointments)? Is it current and does it cover the whole patient population?
2. How often do you need to assess the access needs of your patients?
3. What variables may impact changes in the use of appointment types?
4. If using patient satisfaction surveys, how many patients are actually responding? If the response rate is low, is there another mode of collecting feedback to get more input.
5. Do the questions on your survey ask patients directly about their access needs or preferences?

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

No. Practices must show appointment slots that are available for both urgent/acute and routine care, but may have a policy to accommodate patients with urgent/acute care needs first.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

Yes. The requirement is met if the response time is documented when a patient submits an electronic request for clinical advice and the practice communicates to patients that an on-call provider is available to address urgent issues by telephone after hours. Practices must have a documented process for addressing electronic advice and telephone advice; for this criterion, practices may submit a report tracking response times to electronic requests for at least seven days during operating hours and after hours.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

No. Walk-in appointments are different from scheduled same-day appointments. Same-day appointments offer patients the opportunity to schedule a routine or urgent visit at a specific time to enable more patient-centered and convenient access; this prevents the need to wait for the next available clinician at the clinic.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

No. AC 03 requires practices to offer appointments outside regular business hours for both routine and urgent care. Using the ED for after-hours care does not meet the requirement since patients cannot schedule and access routine appointments at the ED.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

NCQA is not prescriptive regarding which clinical staff it is (clinician, nurse, social worker or other provider) and the practice may determine the training and skills needed to address and manage the behavioral health care needs of their patient population.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

The requirement is met if teams share questions or concerns about shared patients via regular, structured communication (such as the EHR). The intent of the criterion is for all members of the care team to be involved in communication about patient care, but care teams can meet separately for each clinician’s scheduled patients.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

The clinician lead of the medical home must be a clinician as defined in the PCMH Policies and Procedures, which includes clinicians with an unrestricted license as an MD, DO, APRN or PA; however, NCQA is not prescriptive regarding the staff member who can be designated as the PCMH manager. Both can serve multiple sites and both roles can be assumed by the same person.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

TC 06 requires practices to engage in regular communication to discuss care for patients scheduled each day, but this requirement can be satisfied by demonstration of either scheduled team meetings or scheduled electronic team communication, depending on the practice’s process for communication. Please note this communication is focused on patient care needs and is not to discuss practice transformation activities or staffing schedules.
All members of the practice care team, including clinicians, must participate in the communication; however, it is not required that the clinician be present if the team meets in-person, as long as there is a process in place to communicate the information from the meeting to the clinician.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

This criterion requires both a documented process ensuring information is distributed to patients and demonstration of patient materials with the minimum information described in the guidance. However, if the practice's documented process is described in the patient brochure, that brochure could be sufficient evidence for TC 09.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

Information about care can be provided to patients through materials such as brochures, flyers or information posted on the practice’s website. When describing the services provided by the practice, attention should be drawn to defining evidence-based guidelines for preventive and clinical care.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years: