The Healthy Lifestyles School Project originated in the summer of 2009 with the goal of promoting healthy lifestyle choices among students and families at Garfield Primary School, Trewyn Middle School and Manual High School in Peoria.  The Full Service Community Schools (FSCS) Advisory Council proposed the project to Quest and a team was assembled.  Team members included a wide variety of local stakeholders:  school principals and staff, local government officials, youth, health and community focused non-profits, parents, nutritionists, medical experts, and local businesses.

So what exactly is this new “Patient Centered Medical Home” (PCMH) and why has it become  the new buzzword for healthcare reform? Matter of fact, it is mentioned at least 15 times in the recent healthcare reform legislation.  Recognizing that having access to primary care is the key to improving healthcare outcomes, everyone from payers, purchasers, physicians and patients are hoping that the medical home will improve quality and drive down healthcare costs.

The Problem

For most consumers, the healthcare industry offers a host of uncertainty.  The cost and duration of each visit are difficult to predict, and quality of care can be even more complicated to judge.  Not only that, but consumers don’t often know what treatment options are even available to them, leaving them to simply accept their doctor's preferred treatment method.  Consumers who want to learn more about their options usually need to find second opinions from another physician which can be a costly and extremely time consuming process.  Even if a consumer manages to successfully investigate all of his or her treatment options, determining the possible risks and benefits of each method is another matter entirely.

As consumers, we don't tolerate such an extreme lack of information in any other industry, and it certainly doesn't make sense to tolerate it in an industry that we rely on to help maintain our health.  This then leads to the question, what can be done to fix the problem?

A substantial part of reducing waste in healthcare can be accomplished through widespread institution of electronic health records (EHRs). Too often, tests and procedures are repeated on patients because the providers do not have records of what care the patient has already had. This kind of unnecessary care makes up more than $500 billion every year that, with EHRs, could be cut out of healthcare spending. EHRs are also useful in tracking both long- and short-term care schedules, keeping providers and patients aware of when procedures like mammograms, colonoscopies, and diabetes-related tests need to be done.

At Quality Quest, we are committed to advancing a high-quality, patient-centered, and cost-effective healthcare system.  We believe it is critical for community members to work together on shared health-related priorities.  We also believe it is important to engage consumers to take more responsibility for their own health and work as partners with their healthcare providers.

An Interview with Dr. Michael Jongerius

I'm originally from St. Louis and I went to college and medical school at the University of Missouri in Columbia. After that, I did my primary care residency in York, PA. I then started practicing medicine in Peoria to fulfill a commitment with the Health Service Corps. When I completed that, I intended to go back to St. Louis to practice, but there was an opening that appealed to me for a physician in a Methodist rural practice in Princeville, that included a large migrant health population. Following some time there, I had the opportunity to help start a practice on an expanding edge of Peoria. Several years down the road, I decided to take an administrative position, but before long, I missed the clinical work. I wanted to return to practicing medicine, but do it differently than before, in my own way. That leads me to where I am today, in my Junction Medical practice which I opened in January 2009.