A Hamden internist has become the first solo practitioner in Connecticut to achieve national recognition as a Patient-Centered Medical Home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
Dr. Edward Rippel, owner of Quinnipiac Internal Medicine, joins some 1,600 PCMH-model practices in the U.S., which use primary care physicians as central figures in coordinating patient’s care among specialists, hospitals and other health care providers.
As part of his solo practice Rippel, who communicates with patients in English, Spanish, and Italian, cares for people from Hamden and about 30 other communities. To qualify for the distinction, Rippel said he made a $50,000 investment in electronic medical records.
The medical home has been identified as a means of controlling costs and improving quality and health status. And the concept is a key part of the federal health care reform law.
