NCQA Recognizes Hamden’s Dr. Edward Rippel for New Generation Primary Care Hinged on Doctor-Patient Communications, Disease Prevention, Medical Software Technology
HAMDEN, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pioneering the use of technology to improve primary care medicine, Hamden Internist Edward Rippel, M.D., is the first solo practitioner in Connecticut to achieve national recognition as a Patient-Centered Medical Home™ (PCMH™) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA.) Rippel joins some 1,600 PCMH-model practices in the U.S., promoting healthcare continuity based on improved patient communications, doctor access and state-of-the-art electronic medical records (EMR) software to track patient health.
Rippel owns Quinnipiac Internal Medicine where he cares for patients from Hamden and about 30 other communities. He says his $50,000 investment in EMR is consistent with his approach – as a medical partner vested in his patients’ health. These two features helped earn Rippel NCQA’s Level 3 PCMH rating – its highest.
Rippel, who communicates with patients in English, Spanish and Italian, says EMR offers dramatic new advantages to help patients stay current on the routine tests and procedures essential for managing chronic disease and preventive care. He says a simple database query instantly reports which patients to contact because their sugar is uncontrolled or they’re overdue for cholesterol testing or breathing tests.
Rippel cites the comparative health of his patients as evidence of the merits of his new “medical home.” “Among our diabetic patients for example, 70 percent are well-controlled with Hemoglobin A1C levels at treatment goal, whereas the national average is about 40-50 percent,” commented Rippel. “None are on dialysis,” he added.
Rippel says that although the PCMH-recognition process is daunting, he found assistance at Qualidigm in Rocky Hill, Conn., which recently launched a program for physicians in Connecticut ready to introduce the PCMH model in their practices.
Edward G. Rippel, M.D., a Board Certified Internist and founder of Quinnipiac Internal Medicine in Hamden, Conn., is the state’s first solo practitioner recognized as a Patient-Centered Medical Home™ by NCQA. He also holds current NCQA recognition for his treatment of Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke. He earned his Doctoral Degree in Medicine from New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, and has practiced in Connecticut since 1993.
Editor’s Note: Photograph of Dr. Edward Rippel is available electronically upon request.
CONTACT:
For Quinnipiac Internal Medicine
Michele Zommer, 203-206-4384
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Connecticut
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Practice Management Health Cardiology Hospitals Other Health General Health Managed Care
MEDIA: