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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

D. Bradley Wright, BS, School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy, The George Washington University, 2021 K St. NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006, 202-465-4815, dbwright@gwu.edu

Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are a unique component of the U.S. health care safety net. They provide a full spectrum of primary care services and varying degrees of specialty care. FQHCs are eligible to receive federal grant funding and a higher Medicaid match rate than other Medicaid providers, contingent on their satisfying federal requirements outlined in Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. Of particular interest in this study is the requirement that a majority of FQHC governing board members must be registered users (i.e., patients) of the center. I hypothesize that the community governance provision of FQHCs improves board effectiveness by increasing the board's responsiveness to community needs. In turn, this may be associated with the organizational success of FQHCs in general. I conducted a survey to describe the structure and composition of the FQHC governing boards in Georgia, the boards' effectiveness at meeting basic operational standards, and the contributions of patient versus non-patient members of the board, with a focus on community responsiveness and community outreach. My findings suggest that the use of a consumer-majority governing board provides an added value to FQHCs by making them more responsive to the communities they serve. Where appropriate, I discuss correlations between board effectiveness and organizational success.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe the legal requirements health centers must adhere to in delivering care.
• Discuss the added value to health centers of having patient-majority governing boards.
• Apply the principles of consumer governance and community representation in other settings as appropriate.

Keywords: Community Health Centers, Safety Net Providers

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Handout (.pdf format, 136.1 kb)