Principles of Family-centered Care

A family-centered medical home:

1. Develops an interdisciplinary team to guide care in a continuous, accessible, comprehensive, and coordinated manner;
2. Takes responsibility for coordinating its patients’ health care across care settings and services over time, in consultation and collaboration with the patient and family;
3. Provides patients with ready access to care;
4. “Knows” its patients and provides care that is whole-person oriented and consistent with patients’ unique needs and preferences;
5. Partners with patients to make treatment decisions;
6. Encourages open communication between patients and the care team;
7. Supports patients and their caregivers in managing the patient’s health;
8. Fosters an environment of trust and respect; and
9. Provides care that is safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, patient-centered, and family-focused.

Source: Adapted from the National Partnership for Women and Families. Principles for Patient- and Family-centered Care: The Medical Home from the Consumer Perspective. http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/Advocate_Toolkit-Consumer_Principles_3-30-09.pdf?docID=4821. Accessed February 17, 2010.