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

Federally Qualified Health Center Strategies for Coping with Hospital Closure: Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK)
Describes how the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) took over two Mercy Hospital Fort Scott primary care clinics when the hospital closed in 2018. Explores CHC/SEK's response to the hospital's closure, the subsequent economic impact on the community, and lessons learned for rural FQHCs in similar situations.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
view details

Experiences of Health Centers in Implementing Telehealth Visits for Underserved Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Connected Care Accelerator Initiative
Offers an analysis of telehealth implementation in safety net settings with a focus on Federally Qualified Health Centers based on health center-provided telehealth visit data from February 2019-August 2021, as well as interviews with leadership and staff. Covers trends in telehealth use in health centers that participate in the California Health Care Foundation's Connected Care Accelerator initiative, the perceptions of health center leaders and staff, and implications for future policy, practice, and investigation.
Author(s): Lori Uscher-Pines, Natasha Arora, Maggie Jones, et al.
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
view details

Ending Surprise Medical Bills
Offers resources for healthcare providers and consumers regarding surprise billing regulations and policies. Includes information on payment dispute resolution between patients and providers, and between providers and out-of-network health plans.
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details

The Effect of National Health Service Corps Clinician Staffing on Medical and Behavioral Health Care Costs in Community Health Centers
Examines the contribution of National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and non-NHSC clinicians to medical and behavioral health costs per visit, using 2013-2017 data from 1,022 Federally Qualified Health Centers merged with the NHSC participant data. Features statistics on average costs per visit for medical or behavioral healthcare, with breakdowns including rural facility location.
Author(s): Xinxin Han, Patricia Pittman, Leighton Ku
Citation: Medical Care, 59(10), S428-S433
Date: 10/2021
view details

Exploring Health Center Capacity in Rural Maternity Care Deserts
Examines the capacity for health centers to provide maternal healthcare in rural maternity care deserts. Compares the performance of priority health centers (PHC) and non-PHCs and national benchmarks on the prenatal patients, the number of patients who delivered with a health center provider, the percent low birth weight babies, and the percent prenatal patients who received prenatal care in the first trimester.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
view details

FQHC Roles and Opportunities Related to Rural Hospital Financial Distress and Closure
Explores the experiences of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) regarding hospital financial distress, downsizing, and closure. Summarizes the results of a survey of 34 FQHCs operating 277 sites in rural communities. Discusses the potential for collaboration between rural hospitals and FQHCs.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
view details

Financial Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers
Infographic describing the estimated financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the communities they serve between April 2020 and June 2021.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
view details

Oral Health Value-Based Care - The Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Story
Explores the role Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) play in providing oral healthcare through integration and how FQHCs used technology and flexible workforce modeling to provide care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes data from the IBM Watson MarketScan Multi-State Database, the Health Resources and Services Administration Uniform Data System, and a survey of participants of the safety net technical assistance program to evaluate health outcomes and service provision of FQHC patients versus non-FQHC patients. Discusses how value-based payment models can effect health outcomes and how FQHCs used telehealth to reach rural and underserved populations during the pandemic.
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organizations: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, National Association of Community Health Centers
view details

Making a Difference for Generations to Come: School-Based Oral Healthcare in Louisiana
Features a Louisiana Federally Qualified Health Center that offers primary care oral health assessment and fluoride varnishes in school-based health centers. Discusses the impact that access to childhood oral health services may have into adulthood.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details

So You Want to Start a Health Center?
Provides guidance for planning and implementing a new health center that meets Section 330 of the U.S. Public Health Service Act requirements. Includes information on developing a needs assessment, physical space considerations, business planning, developing community governance, human resources, information technology, and more.
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
view details