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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Clinics

Medicaid Payment Policy for Federally Qualified Health Centers
Describes the role of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Medicaid, and highlights current policy issues related to Medicaid FQHC payment. Also discusses the Medicaid FQHC prospective payment system (PPS), alternative payment methodologies, how FQHCs participate in managed care networks, and states' desire for increased flexibility in setting FQHC payment rates.
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Puerto Rico's Community Health Centers: Struggling to Recover in the Wake of Hurricane Maria
Highlights the importance of Puerto Rico's 86 mostly rural Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and details the challenges they face as they recover from Hurricane Maria. Also provides demographic and health status/coverage information for Puerto Rico's health center patient base.
Author(s): Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Rachel Gunsalus, Brad Leifer, Sara Rosenbaum
Date: 11/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health, RCHN Community Health Foundation
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Innovations in Rural Health System Development: Federally Qualified Health Center Initiatives
Reports on Maine's Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Discusses strategies for workforce recruitment and retention, serving high-need patient populations, addressing critical community needs, and providing services that address the social determinants of health. Provides various examples of programs from across the state.
Author(s): Sara Kahn-Troster, Amanda Burgess, Andrew Coburn
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Catherine Cutler Institute, Maine Health Access Foundation
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Using Practice Facilitation to Increase Rates of Colorectal Cancer Screening in Community Health Centers, North Carolina, 2012–2013: Feasibility, Facilitators, and Barriers
Pilot study exploring practice facilitation in 3 Federally Qualified Health Centers as a way to promote universal colorectal cancer screening. Features statistics on clinic staffing, number of patients and average age, and number and duration of visits, with breakdowns by rural or urban location.
Author(s): Bryan J. Weiner, Catherine L. Rohweder, Jennifer E. Scott, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 14
Date: 08/2017
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A Guide to Establishing Syringe Services Programs in Rural, At-Risk Areas
Describes the basics of syringe services programs, identifies the need for them in at-risk rural communities, and provides guidance on considerations when establishing programs. Includes examples of syringe services programs in Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, and North Carolina. Also covers information about syringe services-related regulations and laws in select locations.
Author(s): Regina La Belle
Date: 07/2017
Sponsoring organization: Comer Family Foundation
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Screening for Social Determinants of Health in Michigan Health Centers
Examines screening practices for the social determinants of health in Michigan health center settings, including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Includes map of Michigan with health center locations, health center characteristics and statistics, patients in the study, and percentages of health center screenings for core domains.
Author(s): Elena Byhoff, Alicia J. Cohen, Mary C. Hamati, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 30(4), 418-427
Date: 07/2017
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How Western Kentucky Leveraged Medicaid Expansion to Increase Access to Health Care
Describes improvements in healthcare access and quality in Paducah and nearby counties from 2011-2014, when almost 500,000 people were added to the Medicaid rolls. Includes demographic statistics, difference in health system rank from 2012 to 2016, and map showing locations of 9 clinics that have opened or expanded during that time.
Author(s): Sarah Klein, Martha Hostetter, Douglas McCarthy
Date: 07/2017
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Promising Practice: Advisory Group in Washington State Works to Bring Palliative Care to Rural Patients
Describes the Palliative Care Rural Health Integration Advisory Team (PC-RHIAT) initiated by the Washington State Office of Rural Health (WA SORH), which aims to bring palliative care to rural patients through the use of telehealth and community engagement. The WA SORH facilitates this process by bringing experts in palliative care, rural health and telehealth, together with hospitals, clinics, and community team members to develop an action plan based in the rural community and within their healthcare organizations.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 06/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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MORE Care: Narrowing the Rural Interprofessional Oral Health Care Gap
Presents an integrated healthcare model that connects oral health to primary care Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Discusses challenges and strategies in implementing oral health interprofessional practice (IPP), such as developing dental referral networks and ensuring access to health information technology, among others. Details the collaboration between the State Offices of Rural Health in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado with the DentaQuest Institute and the Medical University of South Carolina.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Sean G. Boynes, Lisa Davis, Graham Adams, Michelle Mills, Mark Deutchman
Date: 05/2017
Sponsoring organization: DentaQuest Institute
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Federal Health Centers: An Overview
Explains the Federal Health Center program, with information relating to the statutory authority, program requirements, funding, location, patient populations, health outcomes, and more. Also discusses the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) designation, and how this designation affects Medicare and Medicaid payment levels.
Date: 05/2017
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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