title: Affordable Care Act Impact on Community Health Center Staffing and Enrollment: A Cross-Sectional Study.
abstract: Over 500 000 Washingtonians gained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As more patients gain insurance, community health centers (CHCs) expect to see an increase in demand for their services. This article studies the CHCs in Washington State to examine how the increase in patients has been impacting their workload and staffing. We found a reported mean increase of 11.7% and 5.4% in new Medicaid and Exchange patients, respectively. Half of the CHCs experienced large or dramatic workload impact from the ACA. Our findings suggest that CHCs need further workforce support to meet the expanding patient demand.
authors: Department of Family Medicine-Research Section, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors: Sophie C
authors: SC
authors: Miller
authors: Bianca K
authors: BK
authors: Frogner
authors: Laura M
authors: LM
authors: Saganic
authors: Allison M
authors: AM
authors: Cole
authors: Roger
authors: R
authors: Rosenblatt
mesh_terms: D003151:Community Health Centers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005161:Facility Regulation and Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014861:Washington; D000078329:Workforce