title: How Strong Is the Primary Care Safety Net? Assessing the Ability of Federally Qualified Health Centers to Serve as Patient-Centered Medical Homes.
abstract: By expanding access to affordable insurance coverage for millions of Americans, the Affordable Care Act will likely increase demand for the services provided by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), which provide an important source of care in low-income communities. A pair of Commonwealth Fund surveys asked health center leaders about their ability to function as medical homes. Survey findings show that between 2009 and 2013, the percentage of centers exhibiting medium or high levels of medical home capability almost doubled, from 32 percent to 62 percent. The greatest improvement was reported in patient tracking and care management. Despite this increased capability, health centers reported diminished ability to coordinate care with providers outside of the practice, particularly specialists. Ongoing federal funding and technical support for medical home transformation will be needed to ensure that FQHCs can fulfill their mission of providing high-quality, comprehensive care to low-income and minority populations.
authors.affiliation: Health Care Delivery System Reform, The Commonwealth Fund. jr@cmwf.org
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abrams
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nocon
mesh_terms: D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D064876:Safety-net Providers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States