The UF College of Nursing’s Archer Family Health Care, or AFHC, continues to deliver access to care to the community. On Dec. 31, 2017, AFHC received notice from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, or NCQA, that the practice earned NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition through 2020 for its commitment to improving access to patient care, with lower costs.

“We are proud that AFHC is among an elite group that has demonstrated its commitment to advancing quality in health care,” Dean Anna M. McDaniel, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, said.

The Patient-Centered Medical Home, or PCMH, is a model of care that puts patients at the forefront of care. PCMHs build better relationships between people and their clinical care teams. Research shows they improve quality, the patient experience and staff satisfaction, while reducing health care costs.

AFHC is the only UF Health practice recognized as a PCMH facility, and one of the few recognized nurse-managed health care practices in the United States.

Led by Practice Manager Joan Walker, C.M.M., and College of Nursing Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Denise Schentrup, D.N.P, M.S.N., ARNP, B.C., Archer Family Health Care is a Rural Health Clinic located in the town of Archer, Florida, and offers adult, pediatric, psychiatric and women’s health care. AFHC also offers case management services. A full team of health care professionals, including a consulting physician, community health nurse, psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner, supports AFHC’s family nurse practitioners.

The NCQA PCMH Recognition Program is the most widely adopted evaluation program of its kind in the country, with only a little more than 12,000 practices nationwide that earn this prestigious qualification. Research shows that Patient-Centered Medical Homes improve quality and the patient experience, while reducing health care costs.

One in six primary care physicians in America practices in a NCQA-recognized practice.

Archer Family Health Care offers affordable, comprehensive primary care for the underserved and uninsured residents in a rural area of North Florida. Private giving can assist with operational funds for this practice and other sites like it, expanding needed services while enriching clinical education.