Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

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.

Trends in Use of Telehealth Among Health Centers During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 26–November 6, 2020
Describes trends in telehealth visits at Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)–funded health centers over a 20-week period during the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes data on telehealth visits and COVID-19 case levels for urban compared to rural health centers. Discusses barriers to telehealth in rural areas.
Author(s): Hanna B. Demeke, Sharifa Merali, Suzanne Marks, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 70(7), 240-244
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
view details
Performance Benchmarking Toolkit for Rural Health Centers: Tracking Data to Improve Financial Performance
Offers guidance for rural health centers on how to apply data analysis tools to improve financial performance. Includes information on metrics and metrics and benchmarks for fee-for-service and value-based payment environments.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Improving Behavioral Health Screening & Access to Treatment for Veterans in Community Care
Describes a partnership between Veterans Rural Health Resource Center in Iowa City, Iowa; the Iowa Primary Care Association; and the Community Health Centers of Southeastern Iowa. Provides an overview of Phase I of the collaboration, which focused on implementing a new screening process at 4 rural FQHCs to properly identify all veterans seeking care. Discusses the broader impact of this initiative and next steps.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Community Health Centers of Southeastern Iowa, Iowa Primary Care Association, Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
view details
Funded! Now What?
Provides a step-by-step guide for health centers (section 330 grantees) who have recently been funded. Covers governance, administration, recruitment, finance, clinical, operations, information technology, facilities management, and risk management.
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
view details

Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:


Last Updated: 7/5/2024