Pinnacle Atlantic Health Group’s services are based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) five key elements to achieving better health for all. WHO’s goals are:

• reducing exclusion and social disparities in health;
  
  
• organizing health services around people's needs and expectations
  
  
• integrating health into all sectors;
  
  
• pursuing collaborative models of policy dialogue; and
  
  
• increasing stakeholder participation

Below is an outline of the direct care Pinnacle Atlantic Health Group offers.

 

Direct Care
Pinnacle uses the chronic care model to deliver direct serves to over 1,100 District of Columbia residents.

Primary Medical Care: Pinnacle Atlantic Health Group’s physicians provide continuous and comprehensive care, as well as serving as entry points to the healthcare system. They are the first line of defense to ensure that our patients are able to obtain the highest quality of life by getting and staying well. The key to accomplishing this is forging strong doctor-patient relationships.

Dental Care: Pinnacle Atlantic Health Group is contracted with nine nursing facilities in the District. As with Pinnacle’s house calls program, these providers serve a population that is frequently ill and limited in its ability to visit the offices of traditional, non-mobile providers. This program includes dental teams that treat the nursing home residents on an almost weekly basis.

Podiatry: The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) reports that if every American at risk for developing a diabetic foot ulcer visited a podiatrist once before complications set in, the US health-care system could save $3.5 billion in one year. For this reason, Pinnacle staff closely monitors foot care and works closely with the staff podiatrist.

Psychiatry: The National Institute of Mental Health reports that one in four adults (approximately 57.7 million Americans) experience a mental health disorder in a given year. Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. All Pinnacle staff is trained to informally evaluate patients at each visit. If there is cause for concern, a psychologist appointment can be arranged.

Medication Adherence: Adhering to a complex medication regime can be challenging. Pinnacle staff has years of working with their partner pharmacies to ensure that barriers to medication adherence are overcome.

Care Transitions: The transition from the hospital to home or senior nursing facility is sometimes hard to navigate. With Pinnacle’s home centered care, patients are able to easily transition with Pinnacle’s support. 

House Calls Program: Pinnacle Atlantic Health Group’s house calls program is comprised of providers that go into every community in the District to serve the poor, ill, and homebound patients that would not otherwise receive treatment because they cannot afford it or have physical limitations which prevent them from going to a doctor’s office. Pinnacle’s house calls program provides the same primary, emergency, preventive, and specialty care that patients could otherwise only access in an office or facility. Pinnacle’s house calls prevent worsening conditions, escalating costs for avoidable care, and an unnecessary burden on the District’s health system.