Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell today announced $709,635 in Affordable Care Act funding to 29 health centers in Oregon to recognize health center quality improvement achievements and invest in ongoing quality improvement activities. Oregon health centers receiving awards today are proven leaders in areas such as chronic disease management, preventive care and the use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to report quality data.
“This funding rewards Oregon health centers that have a proven track record in clinical quality improvement, which translates to better patient care, and it allows them to expand and improve their systems and infrastructure to bring the highest quality primary care services to the communities they serve,” said Secretary Burwell. “With these funds, health centers in Oregon will continue to provide access to high quality, comprehensive primary and preventive health care to the patients that need it the most.”
Oregon Health centers receiving these funds are being recognized for high levels of quality performance in one or more of the following categories.
- Health center quality leaders received awards if they were among the top 30 percent of all health centers that achieved the best overall clinical outcomes, demonstrating their ability to focus on quality in all aspects of their clinical operations; 7 Oregon health centers received funding in this category for approximately $174,704.
- Clinical quality improvers received awards if they demonstrated at least a 10 percent improvement in clinical quality measures between 2012 and 2013, showing a significant improvement in the health of the patients they serve; 28 Oregon health centers received funding in this category for approximately $339,925.
- Electronic Health Record reporters received funding if they used EHRs to report clinical quality measure data on all of their patients, a key transformational step in driving quality improvement for all health center patients across the nation; 13 Oregon health centers received funding in this category for approximately $195,000.
“These funds reward and support those health centers that have taken steps to achieve the highest levels of clinical quality performance and improvement,” said Health and Resources Administration (HRSA) Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N.
In Oregon, 30 HRSA-supported health centers operate more than 208 service delivery sites that provide care to nearly 323,148 patients. Nationally, nearly 1,300 HRSA-supported health centers operate more than 9,200 service delivery sites that provide care to nearly 22 million patients in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin.
For a list of FY 2015 Quality Improvement Awards recipients, visit www.hrsa.gov/about/news/2014tables/qualityimprovement/.
To learn more about the Affordable Care Act and Community Health Centers, visit http://bphc.hrsa.gov/about/healthcenterfactsheet.pdf.
To learn more about HRSA’s Community Health Center Program, visit http://bphc.hrsa.gov/about/index.html.
To find a health center in your area, visit http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.
For more information contact Sylvia Burwell at 202-690-6343, [email protected], www.hhs.gov/news, or Twitter @HHSMedia
