• Jenna Howard, Rebecca S Etz, J Benjamin Crocker, Daniel Skinner, Kelly J Kelleher, Karissa A Hahn, William L Miller, and Benjamin F Crabtree.
• From the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Somerset, NJ (JH, BFC); the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (RSE); the Department of General Medicine, Ambulatory Practice of the Future, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (JBC); the Department of Social Medicine, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dublin, Ohio University, Dublin (DS); the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH (KJK); and the Department of Family Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA (WLM). jenna.howard@rutgers.edu.
• J Am Board Fam Med. 2016 Mar 1; 29 (2): 248253248-53.

BackgroundCulture is transmitted through language and reflects a group's values, yet much of the current language used to describe the new patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a carryover from the traditional, physician-centric model of care. This language creates a subtle yet powerful force that can perpetuate the status quo, despite transformation efforts. This article describes new terminology that some innovative primary care practices are using to support the transformational culture of the PCMH.MethodsData come from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded Working Conference for PCMH Innovation 2013, which convened 10 innovative practices and interdisciplinary content experts to discuss innovative practice redesign. Session and interview transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to identify patterns and explore their significance.ResultsLanguage innovations are used by 5 practices. Carefully selected terms facilitate creative reimagining of traditional roles and spaces through connotations that highlight practice goals. Participants felt that the language used was important for reinforcing substantive changes.ConclusionsReworking well-established vernacular requires openness to change. True transformation does not, however, occur through a simple relabeling of old concepts. New terminology must represent values to which practices genuinely aspire, although caution is advised when using language to support cultural and clinical change.© Copyright 2016 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

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