Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the Health Center Program resources via the Rural Health Information Hub

News: CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2026 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; and Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; Correction

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:41:19 -0500

Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical corrections to the November 5, 2025, final rule. This correction is effective March 12, 2026.

News: Salinas, Moolenaar, Tokuda, Moylan Lead Bipartisan Effort To Save Rural Hospitals And Clinics

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:47:50 -0600

Congressional representatives Andrea Salinas (OR), John Moolenaar (MI), Jill Tokuda (HI), and James Moylan (Guam) have introduced the Rural Health Care Facilities Revitalization Act, a bill to strengthen the nation's rural healthcare infrastructure and ease financial pressures faced by rural hospitals. The bill authorizes rural health facilities to use Community Facility Loans or loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to refinance debt, update technology, and support operating expenses to ensure financial stability.

Resource: Update to the Payment for Historically Excepted Tribal Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) for Calendar Year (CY) 2026

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:19:20 -0600

Provides an overview of updates to the historically excepted Tribal Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Prospective Payment System (PPS) rate for calendar year 2026. -- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Event: 2026 Annual NACHC Community Health Conference & Expo

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:27:50 -0600

Las Vegas NV
August 16, 2026 -- National Association of Community Health Centers

Resource: "Sacred Ground for Kids": Institutional Perspectives on Rural School-Based Health Centers as Patient-Centered Medical Homes

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 12:28:48 -0600

Presents a study on the role school-based health centers (SBHCs) play in providing care to children in rural counties and explores the potential for SBHCs to function as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) for rural students. Highlights findings from interviews in four rural counties in New York and identifies challenges for SBHCs functioning as a PCMH.

Resource: Telehealth FAQ Calendar Year 2026

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:41:15 -0600

Provides information on Medicare telehealth regulations and payment policy for calendar year 2026. Includes information on audio-only services, behavioral health services, direct supervision, and more. -- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Event: Health Center Preparedness & Response Forum: Patient Supports

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:16:14 -0600

Resource: Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (CMS-1832-F)

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 10:44:30 -0600

Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and other Medicare Part B issues for calendar year 2026. Summarizes provisions related to telehealth services; improving care for chronic illness and behavioral health needs; Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) care coordination services, services requiring direct supervision, and telecommunication services; and more. -- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Resource: Community Health Centers and Rural Health: Essential Access, Enduring Challenges

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:32:49 -0500

Discusses the role community health centers (CHCs) play in delivering primary care in rural areas. Describes the challenges rural CHCs face and strategies to stabilize and strengthen these facilities. Includes data on the rural CHC workforce and the percentage of all CHC patients served by a rural CHC by state. Compares healthcare quality, the percent of medical and mental health visits that were virtual, and the percent of patients with select chronic conditions by rural and urban location. -- National Association of Community Health Centers, WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on CY 2026 Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B for Payment Policies

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 10:41:02 -0500

Comment on a July 16, 2025, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of a proposal to allow Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to provide and bill for medical visits via telehealth and be paid at Physician Fee Schedule (PFS)-equivalent rates through December 2026. -- Medicare Payment Advisory Commission

Resource: National Health Center Financial and Operational Performance Analysis: 2020–2023

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 09:46:41 -0500

Examines financial and operational characteristics of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) from 2020-2023. Explores FQHC growth and expansion, patient and payer mix, revenue and growth mix, staffing and productivity, operational trends, financial performance, and more. Compares data on rural FQHCs to urban and national FQHC data. Requires name, email address, and organization information to download.

Resource: Organizational Factors Associated with Using Telehealth Services: Perspectives from Leaders of Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 16:17:43 -0500

Research and policy brief examining organizational factors influencing telehealth use in Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Summarizes interviews with RHC and FQHC key informants to discuss perceptions of telehealth, implementation challenges, operational challenges, and opportunities for innovation. Provides suggestions for policy and reimbursement approaches to improve telehealth provision and access. -- Remote Care & Telehealth Research Center

Resource: Community Health Center Patients, Financing, and Services

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 09:14:37 -0600

Describes health center patient characteristics, services, patient experiences, and financing changes between 2019 and 2023. Presents data on health centers in rural communities throughout. -- KFF

Resource: Identifying Factors Associated with Variation in Telemental Health Delivery at Federally Qualified Health Centers

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 10:47:01 -0600

Examines telemental health delivery at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) across the U.S. Analyzes 1,270 FQHCs and their telemental appointments in 2021 and provides statistics according to mental health staffing, rurality of FQHC, state, and patient population descriptors, including age, race/ethnicity, and insurance status.

Resource: Federally Qualified Health Centers and Performance of Medicare Accountable Care Organizations

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:54:35 -0600

Explores the association between participation of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) in Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) with ACOs' beneficiary characteristics, utilization, expenditure, and quality. Features statistics including estimated changes in Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO-assigned beneficiaries, utilization, and expenditure, with breakdowns by FQHC and RHC visits and other types of visits.

Resource: Health Center Performance Improvement Toolkit

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 13:59:26 -0500

Offers a framework to support health center performance improvement and health outcomes across seven domains. Includes a guide to self-assessment to help health centers assess their current performance in each domain, describe assess their current performance in each domain, describe future performance goals, and identify how to reach and sustain improved performance. Offers self-assessment tools, including fillable checklists for each domain, progress snapshot worksheets, and example improvement activities. -- Bureau of Primary Health Care

Resource: Building a Regional Healthcare Presence and Partnerships, with Krista Postai and Jason Wesco

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 11:52:21 -0500

An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Krista Postai, CEO of Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK), and Jason Wesco, CHC/SEK's President and Chief Strategy Officer. Focuses on the community health center's journey from a single facility operating out of a trailer to having 18 locations across the region that leverage community partnerships to address health-related social needs. -- Rural Health Information Hub

Resource: Safety Net Primary Care Capabilities After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 08:31:47 -0500

Examines the ability of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) versus non-FQHCs to provide safety net care to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes 1,245 primary care practices, focusing on their characteristics such as census region and ownership, as well as their safety net care services, such as screening for social needs or ability to provide opioid treatment. Discusses the importance of FQHCs to access quality primary care, particularly for rural populations.

Resource: Community Health Centers' Progress and Challenges in Meeting Patients' Essential Primary Care Needs: Findings from the Commonwealth Fund 2024 National Survey of Federally Qualified Health Centers

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 09:33:20 -0500

Summarizes findings from the 2024 Commonwealth Fund National Survey of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which received responses from 737 FQHC leaders in fall 2023 and spring 2024. Explores the extent to which FQHCs achieve primary care accessibility, comprehensiveness, and coordination. Compares findings to data from the 2018 version of this survey to assess how care delivery changed over time. Describes barriers FQHCs face in offering high-quality care. Presents data by rural and urban location throughout. -- Commonwealth Fund

Funding opportunity: NRHA Rural Health Nurse Certification Program

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 13:35:13 -0500

A leadership and certification program for current rural nurses. -- National Rural Health Association

Resource: Community Health Centers: Providers, Partners and Employers of Choice - 2024 Chartbook

Mon, 13 May 2024 14:03:11 -0500

Presents graphs, charts, and data highlighting services provided by Community Health Centers, characteristics of the patients served, and progress made in improving access to healthcare. Reports on health centers' financial health, workforce status, economic impact, challenges to meeting the demand for healthcare needs, and more. Section 5 presents statistics on telehealth service offerings between 2018 and 2022 with breakdowns by urban or rural status. Contains maps with data by state throughout. -- National Association of Community Health Centers

Resource: Changes in Buprenorphine Prescribing in Community Health Centers

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:06:56 -0500

Analyzes changes from 2016 to 2021 in prescriptions of buprenorphine in Community Health Centers (CHCs) to treat opioid addiction. Utilizes data from the OCHIN Inc network of CHCs to analyze patient and clinic/clinician characteristics, including rural versus urban location.

Resource: A Federally Qualified Health Center and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Partnership in Rural Missouri

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 09:29:38 -0600

Case study describing a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) program partnership between a Federally Qualified Health Center and a certified community behavioral health clinic in rural southwest Missouri. Covers the infrastructure of the MOUD program, staffing and services, financing, and more. Highlights challenges and successes, as well as recommendations for other health centers interested in a similar partnership. -- Center for Health Care Strategies

Resource: El Dorado Community Health Centers: Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in Rural California Through Community Partnerships

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 09:21:00 -0600

Case study describing how El Dorado Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in California, works with a community coalition to address the opioid epidemic and implement a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) program. Covers the infrastructure of the MOUD program, staffing and services, financing, and more. Highlights challenges and successes, as well as recommendations for other health centers. -- Center for Health Care Strategies

Resource: Health Center Program GeoCare Navigator

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 15:12:37 -0600

Interactive mapping tool to assist applicants to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) New Access Point, Service Area Competition, Look-Alike, or Change in Scope funding opportunities within the Health Center Program. Enables users to conduct research, explore service areas, access basic information on health centers and other relevant data. Offers map layers reflecting select population and uniform data set (UDS) data. -- Health Resources and Services Administration

Resource: Capital Planning for Addressing Rural Health Needs

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 10:01:16 -0500

Recording of a June 2023 webinar discussing the connection between rural health topics and facility design. Profiles Desert Sage Health Center, a health center serving rural Idaho, and how it tailored the structure of its new facility to suit community needs. Outlines costs that should be considered when planning a capital project and how those costs may present unique challenges in rural areas. Free registration is required to access the webinar recording.

Resource: Training the Primary Care Workforce to Deliver Team-Based Care in Underserved Areas: The Teaching Health Center Program

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 09:57:17 -0500

Provides an overview of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program. Describes the THCGME program's outcomes in training primary care medical and dental providers, the practice settings of THCGME family medicine graduates, and services provided by program graduates. Profiles four THCGME programs, including three programs that serve tribal or rural areas. Discusses challenges facing Teaching Health Centers, proposed solutions, and key takeaways and recommendations for policymakers. -- Milbank Memorial Fund

Resource: School-Based Telehealth Playbook

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:07:54 -0500

Guides health centers through the design, implementation, and operation of a telehealth program that meets the needs of children and adolescents. Covers assessing needs and readiness, program models, business models, technology and equipment, program evaluation, partnerships, and implementation. Highlights examples from rural areas throughout. -- School-Based Health Alliance

Resource: Community Health Centers Seek to Prepare Medicaid Beneficiaries, and Themselves, for the Risks Ahead

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 10:41:12 -0500

Explores how Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), including an FQHC serving rural North Carolina, are helping Medicaid beneficiaries stay enrolled or find alternate coverage during the post-COVID-19 redetermination process. Describes how operations of these FQHCs have been changed by funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and pandemic-related regulatory flexibilities. -- Commonwealth Fund

Resource: National Capital Grants Infographic for FQHCs

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 13:17:07 -0500

Provides an overview of Health Center Construction and Capital Improvements grants awarded to Federally Qualified Health Centers in 2021. Outlines the economic impacts of these projects on local communities. Presents data by urban, micropolitan, and rural location. Requires name, email address, and organization information to download.