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Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the Health Center Program – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the Health Center Program.

Identifying Factors Associated with Variation in Telemental Health Delivery at Federally Qualified Health Centers
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.
Author(s): Brianna Lombardi, Connor Sullivan, Maria Gaiser, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 15
Date: 01/2024
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A Federally Qualified Health Center and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Partnership in Rural Missouri
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.
Author(s): Ashley Jasko, Meryl Schulman
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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El Dorado Community Health Centers: Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in Rural California Through Community Partnerships
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.
Author(s): Ashley Jasko, Meryl Schulman
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Capital Planning for Addressing Rural Health Needs
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.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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Training the Primary Care Workforce to Deliver Team-Based Care in Underserved Areas: The Teaching Health Center Program
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.
Author(s): Emily Hawes, Jacob Rains, Candice Chen, Erin Fraher
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Patient Satisfaction with Rural Health Centers
Examines patient satisfaction with health centers in Illinois by patient demographics, including metro versus nonmetro home location. Utilizes 7,002 records from Health Center Patient Survey (HCPS) data gathered from October 2014 through April 2015 to analyze health status, perception of healthcare quality, and satisfaction of health center patients.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Mental Health Visits via Telecommunications for Rural Health Clinics & Federally Qualified Health Centers
Details regulatory changes for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) regarding mental health visits provided through real-time audio-video and audio-only technologies. Includes information on coding for RHC and FQHC claims, in-person mental health visit requirements, and exceptions to the in-person requirement.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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School-Based Telehealth Playbook
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.
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organization: School-Based Health Alliance
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Contraceptive Care Service Provision via Telehealth Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic at Rural and Urban Federally Qualified Health Centers in 2 Southeastern States
Explores a study on the use of telehealth by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to provide contraceptive services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alabama and South Carolina. Breaks down data by clinic accessibility and services offered, type of contraceptives provided, and rural versus urban location, among other factors.
Author(s): Kate Beatty, Michael G. Smith, Amal J. Khoury, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(1), 160-171
Date: 12/2022
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Capital Financing Strategies for Rurally-Located Health Centers
Recording of a September 2022 webinar discussing financing sources available to rural health centers for capital expansion projects. Discusses financing opportunities, including the HRSA Loan Guarantee Program and New Markets Tax Credits, among others. Profiles El Dorado Community Health Center, a rural health center in California that completed a capital development project. Free registration is required to access the webinar recording.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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