Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell has announced nearly $2.8 million in Affordable Care Act funding to 56 of New York State’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to recognize quality improvement achievements. (FQHCs include health centers receiving grants under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act). New York follows California as the second highest-ranking state in the nation for overall grant funding.
“We are proud that HHS is recognizing community health centers for their significant investment in quality infrastructure,” said Larry McReynolds, President of Lutheran Family Health Centers in Brooklyn, a grant recipient. “This is a great step forward as health centers transition from overall volume of visits to an emphasis on patient outcomes and population health.” McReynolds also serves as Board Chair of the Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS).
Health center quality leaders received awards if they were among the top 30% of all health centers that achieved the best overall clinical outcomes, demonstrating their ability to focus on quality in all aspects of their clinical operations; 24 NYS FQHCs received funding in this category, totaling $994,086
National quality leaders received awards for exceeding national clinical benchmarks for chronic disease management, preventive care, and perinatal/prenatal care, demonstrating the critical role that community health centers play in promoting high quality health care nationwide; 6 NYS FQHCs received funding in this category, totaling $225,578
Clinical quality improvers received awards if they demonstrated at least a 10% improvement in clinical quality measures between 2012 and 2013, thereby showing a significant improvement in the health of the patients they serve; 53 NYS FQHCs received funding in this category, totaling $1,209,496
Electronic Health Record reporters received funding if they used EHRs to report clinical quality measure data on all of their patients, a key transformational step in driving quality improvement for all health center patients across the nation; 24 NYS FQHCs received funding in this category, totaling $360,000
“The scope of this funding speaks to the commitment that our FQHCs are making toward improving and maintaining high-quality patient care in medically-underserved communities throughout New York State,” said Elizabeth Swain, President and CEO of CHCANYS. “With proper investment in quality programming, we are reducing costs and improving the health of those we serve.”
