Are FQHc employees considered federal employees?

§ 233), as amended by the Federally Supported Health Centers Assistance Act of 1992 and 1995, employees of eligible health centers may be deemed as federal employees for the purposes of liability protections under the FTCA for acts or omissions in the performance of medical, surgical, dental, or related functions ...

What are the challenges with FQHc?

FQHC Fiscal Challenges One of the primary concerns is the need for strategic financial management . While additional funding is a boon, FQHCs must allocate resources judiciously to sustain long-term operations.

What is the advantage of working in FQHC?

Financial Benefits Beyond Salary Salary plays a significant role when providers choose a facility to work for. However, FQHCs provide financial benefits that can surpass the salaries offered by other hospitals. Many FQHCs provide the following: Reimbursem*nt for continuing education .

How do FQHCs make money?

In California, FQHCs are reimbursed directly by the state for beneficiaries in the fee-for-service program or by the health plan for visits by their members. For managed care members, the FQHC bills the state for the difference between the health plan payment and the PPS rate.

What are the disadvantages of federally qualified health centers?

1. Managing volume . FQHCs are overwhelmed by patient volume and struggle to stay ahead of rising risks, since FFS does not incentivize preventive care. As a result, they spend more time and money on treating patients at the high end of clinical complexity, which limits their availability for new patients.

Can FQHCs take downside risk?

42 CFR § 51c. 108(b)(8). 4)Downside Financial Risk. In general, FQHCs cannot accept down-side financial risk that may result in paying for services outside its scope of project with Section 330 grant funds.

What makes FQHC unique?

WHAT MAKES A FQHC UNIQUE? FQHCs deliver high quality, culturally competent, comprehensive primary care, as well as supportive services such as health education, translation, and transportation that promote access to care.

Why is there a lack of healthcare workers?

The healthcare worker shortage is a complex issue with far-reaching implications. It stems from a variety of factors, including an aging population, increasing patient acuity, and a limited pipeline of new healthcare professionals .

Why are healthcare workers leaving the profession?

Like with more advanced nurses, common causes for leaving include stressful working conditions, lack of leadership and supervision, and understaffed facilities . Those factors get amplified for nurses still familiarizing themselves with the demands of the job.

Is an FQHC considered a federal contractor?

Being an FQHC doesn't necessarily make a company required to comply with the laws enforced by OFCCP, but it doesn't mean that the company is not a federal contractor either.

What counts as a federal employee?

Who are federal employees? Federal employees are individuals who work for the federal government . This includes politicians, judges, and heads of departments such as Labor and State. Federal employees can also be civilians who work government jobs in areas like law enforcement, public health, science and engineering.

What is an example of a federally qualified health center?

A few examples of FQHC include: Community Health Centers . Migrant Health Centers. Health Care for the Homeless Health Centers.

What is the difference between a rural health clinic and a FQHC?

RHCs operate exclusively for the purpose of providing primary care services to Medicare patients located in rural and shortage areas; FQHCs provide primary care services and dental care services to rural/urban areas and shortage areas.

Health Center Workforce

Overview

Health centers need public policies that contribute to a robust, culturally competent, primary care workforce that is ready and willing to fill current staffing needs at health centers, as well as serve that role into the future. Part of NACHC’s agenda in this space is advocating for several essential programs, theNational Health Service Corps(NHSC), theTeaching HealthCenters Graduate Medical Education (THCGME)program, the Nurse Corps, and the Behavioral Health Workforce Development (BHWD) program which supply health centers with dedicated and hardworking health care workers and train the next generation of health center doctors and dentists.

These programs and others that bolster the health care workforce work in tandem to not only address the primary care shortage, but also help in increasing access to health care services for medically underserved communities.

National Health Service Corps

TheNational Health Service Corps’(NHSC’s)mission is to build healthy communities by supporting health care providers dedicated to working in areas with limited provider access through loan repayment and scholarships. The NHSC collaborates with community health centers to provide financial, professional and education resources to medical, dental, mental, and behavioral health care providers.

Teaching Health Centers

TheTeaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education(THCGME) program, first authorized in 2010 and extended with bipartisan votes in 2015 and 2018, is an initiative designed to increase the number of primary care medical and dental residents trained in community-based settings. Medical residents are able to provide care in various health center and primary care settings including FQHCs, FQHC Look-Alikes, Community Mental Health Centers, and rural health clinics. THCGME pays for the training resident’s medical education expenses or for the expansion of health centers residency programs.

Shortage Designations

Throughout the country, there are geographic areas, populations, and facilities with too few primary care, dental, and mental health providers and services. In conjunction with State Primary Care offices, HRSA determines which of these should receive “shortage designations,” and therefore be eligible to receive certain federal resources. Federally Qualified Health Centers all received automatic designation as HPSAs.

Helpful Resources

NACHC Maps:Primary Care Shortage State Maps

Malpractice Liability Protection for Health Centers – FTCA

The Federally Supported Health Centers Assistance Act of 1992 and 1995 granted medical malpractice liability protection through the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) to HRSA-supported health centers. Under the Act, health centers are considered Federal employees, with the Federal government acting as their primary liability insurer.

Important Links

BPHC’s FTCA website
BPHC FTCA Manual
BPHC Toolkit– list of tools to help health centers get coverage
PAL Instructions to apply for coverage – HRSA has extended FTCA coverage to volunteers working at health centers. The Program assistance letter (PAL) is to help health centers apply for FTCA coverage for their volunteers.
ECRI Institute Risk Management and Patient Safety Guidance– ECRI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving patient care. HRSA has worked with ECRI to create helpful risk management and patient safety resources.
Feldesman Tucker Leifer FidellLLP Compliance & FTCA Support Services– provides services for health centers available with subscription.