HHS Awards Millions to Improve State Health Center Quality

ALL >> California is receiving 163 awards totaling $13,074,002 to invest in health center quality improvement efforts and to provide high quality comprehensive care. Health centers in California will use these funds to expand current quality improvement systems and infrastructure and to improve primary care service delivery in the communities they serve. “Millions of Americans rely on health centers to provide them with quality health care,” said Dr. Mary Wakefield, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acting deputy secretary. “These quality improvement awards will support health centers to continue to deliver superior healthcare that engages patients, improves care coordination and bridges overall access to care.” Health centers are receiving these FY 16 funds based upon high levels of performance in one or more of the following categories: Improving Quality of Care, Advancing Health Equity, Maintaining Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition, Enhancing Access to Care and Delivering Value. This funding comes from the Affordable Care Act’s Community Health Center (CHC) Fund, which was extended with bipartisan support in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015. “Health centers are evaluated on a set of performance measures emphasizing health outcomes and the value of care delivered,” said Jim Macrae, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) acting administrator. “These measures provide a balanced, comprehensive look at services to manage conditions among the vulnerable populations served by health centers.” Nationally, more than $100 million was awarded to 1,304 health centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and seven territories for quality improvement efforts. Nearly 1,400 health centers operating more than 9,800 sites provide care to more than 24 million people across this nation, in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin. Today, health centers employ nearly 190,000 people.