HCC of Rural Missouri Receives Quality Improvement Awards from HRSA
Nonprofit and its FQHCs Stimulate Economies in Rural Communities
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently doled out Quality Improvement Awards (QIA)s to 1,352 community health centers across the U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia. These awards recognize the highest performing health centers nationwide as well as those health centers that have made significant quality improvement gains from the previous year. The Health Care Collaborative (HCC) of Rural Missouri’s Live Well Community Health Centers were among the award recipients – winning seven categories out of nine. The list of categories and QIAs for HCC’s four federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Buckner, Carrollton, Concordia and Waverly include:
Electronic Health Record (EHR) Reporters [$5,000]
– represents employed EHRs to report on all clinical quality measures (CQMs) data for all Live Well patients.
Clinical Quality Improvers [$16,739]
– reached at least 10 percent improvement in one or more CQMs between 2016 – 2017.
Enhancing Access to Care [$5,000]
– increased the total number of patients served and the number of patients receiving comprehensive services between 2016 – 2017.
Delivering High Value Care [$25,000]
– improved the delivery of cost-efficient care as compared with the national average, while also increasing quality of care, and improving patient access to comprehensive services.
Addressing Health Disparities [$7,500]
– met, exceeded, or made at least a 10 percent improvement toward Healthy People 2020 goals across different racial and ethnic groups.
Advancing Health Information Technology (HIT) [$6,000]
– utilized HIT systems to increase access to care and advance quality of care.
Achieving Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition [$35,000]
– has one or more Live Well Centers designated as a PCMH site.
When asked how these funds are used, the answer is simple: funds are reinvested to provide quality services for patients. This includes advancing quality control measures, building HIT infrastructure and other information system networks, and implementing patient-centered care practices, among other initiatives. The singular goal is to increase access to quality care and improve patient outcomes.
These investments also position HCC and its Live Well Centers to make a pronounced impact in and outside of the exam room: rural communities served by HCC/Live Well continue to realize economic gains.
Capital Link, a nonprofit that works with FQHCs and primary care associations to gauge performance and improve health outcomes, provided the latest economic impact data for 2016:
- HCC/Live Well employs 79, with 49 health center jobs. Of those, 14 are skilled positions and 14 are entry level, with an additional 30 jobs.
- This equates to $4,189,002 in direct health center spending and $4,170,574 community spending.
- Annual tax revenue is $1,129,124. This includes $286,465 in state and local tax revenue, and $842,659 in federal tax revenue.
- HCC and its Live Well Centers produced $4 million in Medicaid savings, resulting in 24 percent health care savings among its Medicaid patients.
- The Centers served 4907 patients, which included 1,776 children and adolescents, and 3,131 adults. As for access to care, 12,235 patient visits took place across the four Live Well Center locations.
- The majority, 98 percent, of Live Well patients are 200 percent below Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
“We have a team of professionals who demonstrate a heart for service every single day,” said HCC CEO, Toniann Richard. “I believe this is reflected in our ability to make consistent strides in how we care for our patients, [and] the programs we deploy that reach deep down into the communities we serve. There’s never a shortage of stories or humbling experiences that remind us, ‘this is why we do this.’”
HCC, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit and rural health network, implements and supports countywide and regional programs that promote access to health education, awareness, prevention and treatment services. The HCC also owns and operates all four Live Well Centers. These full-service FQHCs accept all insurances including Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. Sliding-fee scale and income-based fee structures are also options for uninsured and underinsured individuals.
