Patient Medical Homes (PMH) and Primary Care Networks (PCN)

Divisions around the province are working toward creating an integrated system of care, in order to provide quality, timely care for patients and their families that is effectively linked and supported across the system.

As part of this strategy, the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC) is working with divisions of family practice to support physician offices around the province to transition to towards the patient medical home (PMH) and primary care network (PCN) models. Under these models physician practices will be seamlessly linked to teams of health professionals, networks, and better-coordinated specialty services in the community.

The goal of this work is to:

• Better meet the needs of patients now and into the future, ensuring they have timely access and attachment to continuous, coordinated primary and community care across practitioners and locations.
• Better manage the impacts of a changing workforce – including retiring GPs and work practices of new GPs – so we can continue to deliver care effectively and keep up with patient demand for access.
• Better build a sustainable, cost-effective primary and community care system.

With the support of teams and networks of other health professionals, and with strong links to the community:

• Family physicians know their patients are getting the right care, in the right place at the right time.
• Not all responsibility for patient support is on one physician’s shoulders.
• Pressures are eased, so doctors can achieve better work-life balance and look out for their own wellness too.
• Divisions and doctors can create healthy and vibrant work environments that will also attract new doctors.

Visit the GPSC website to learn more about the patient medical homes and primary care networks.

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