Health Centers

This session highlighted over a decade of Community Apgar research and its implementation supporting community development for physician recruitment and retention in rural FQHCs and CAHs. This presentation also included ongoing implementation of the program through collaboration with 3RNet and the use of a “Factors Book” which can highlight community assets and focus recruitment efforts to better meet community needs.

This guide provides rural health care leaders and teams with foundational knowledge, strategies, and resources to understand the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on patients and communities. It organizes key information and resources to help the busy manager support and lead education and discussion with front-line staff. This guide focuses on (1) understanding the need and opportunity around addressing SDOH, (2) using local data to support decision making, and (3) involving team members to plan and implement action steps.

HRSA’s Health Centers Program published new research briefs exploring health center capacity in maternity care deserts, differences in clinical quality measures among Appalachian and non-Appalachian health centers, and the role of health centers in providing medication-assisted treatment. The briefs were developed through the UDS Mapper—a tool that helps evaluate the geographic reach, penetration, and growth of the Health Center Program and its relationship to other federally-linked health resources.

The most effective treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) are the three prescription medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone—that are proved to increase a patient’s treatment retention and reduce illicit use and the risk of overdose. The only facilities legally able to offer all three medications are opioid treatment programs (OTPs), a critical component of the U.S. substance use treatment system that are regulated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), as well as state agencies, and are certified to administer any FDA-approved medication for the treatment of OUD.

New medications for office-based treatment of opioid addiction are comparable in efficacy to other chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension when combined with other interventions and as part of a comprehensive care plan. They are safe, highly effective, can be prescribed and/or administered at the Community Health Center, with a sustainable business plan.

Participants will be provided an overview on how to appropriately document, code and bill for encounters throughout the SUD/OUD continuum of care following CMS billing rules for FQHCs/RHC. An overview of the opportunities and challenges associated with MAT reimbursement mechanisms including coding and billing for Medicare, managed care, Medicaid, and other third-party payors will also be presented as will a brief description of revenue options for reporting Transitional Care Management, Virtual Communication Services, Telehealth, and other care management services such as Behavioral Health Integration and the Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model.

As states seek new tools to meet the needs of individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) offer unique resources and examples for developing integrated and cost-effective health care services for complex and chronic conditions. The National Academy for State Health Policy developed this toolkit to share innovations, resources, and lessons learned from five state teams (AL, IL, SD, VA, and WI) that are working to strengthen the capacity of their FQHCs to deliver SUD care

This final rule makes changes to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) regulations governing the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records. These changes were prompted by the need to continue aligning the regulations with advances in the U.S. health care delivery system, while retaining important privacy protections for individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs).

Do you know what you do not know? As an Rural Health Clinic professional it is important to know the following key aspects of running an RHC.