Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)

What is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and what are the benefits?

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), also known as Community Health Centers (CHCs), have been the backbone of the healthcare safety-net provider system in the US for over 40 years. They are responsible for serving the uninsured and underinsured population groups.
 
They are a type of provider defined by Medicare and Medicaid statute and offer comprehensive primary healthcare services to people of all ages, including: health screenings, medical management, prenatal care, family planning, immunizations, and more.

FQHCs are organizations that are non-profit, community based and run by a local Board of Directors.

Benefits of an FQHC:

• Enhanced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement
• Medical malpractice coverage through the Federal Tort Claims Act
• Eligibility to purchase prescription and non-prescription medications for outpatients at reduced cost through the 340B Drug Pricing Program
• Access to National Health Service Corps
• Access to the Vaccine for Children program
• Eligibility for various other federal grants and programs

What does the FQHC Board of Directors do and what are their responsibilities?

The FQHC Board of Directors are responsible for setting organizational policies, ensuring it is community based, and responsive to the needs of the population it serves.  To ensure it is community based the Board membership is comprised of at least 51% being active, registered FQHC clients.

The remaining board members may be from the community, but not active registered FQHC clients.

Board of Directors authority and responsibilities:

Maintains appropriate authority to oversee the operations of the FQHC:

• Establishing a strategic plan to meet the community’s needs and for the long-range viability of the organization.
• Develop general policies.
• Measuring and evaluating the progress in meeting annual and long-term programmatic and financial goals.
• Ongoing review of the organization’s mission and by-laws, evaluating patient satisfaction, and monitoring organizational assets and performance.
• Holding monthly meetings.
• Approval of the FQHC grant application and budget.

Board of Directors Application:

You can fill out an online application or print an application. Application should be submitted by November 12, 2010. Board members should plan to attend the first board meeting on is on Monday, November 15, 2010 from 3pm -5pm at 1100 Loveland Blvd. Port Charlotte, FL. See a map to our Loveland location.

Additional FQHC information:

So You Want to Start a Health Center ...? A Practical Guide for Starting a Federally Qualified Health Center.