There is growing recognition about the role of the physical environment in how patients experience care. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) designated $1.5 billion to upgrade health center infrastructure. Along with additional monies available through federal health reform, this funding provides an unprecedented opportunity for safety-net clinics to design facilities that can improve access to care, and enhance the experience of patients and staff.
Clinics across the country are interested in expanding or building new facilities. Because demand is likely to outstrip the supply of funding, careful planning is required. Yet a 2008 review of the literature on ambulatory care clinics by The Center for Health Design demonstrated that little information is available on the effect of safety-net clinic design on patients, staff, and organizational outcomes. CHCF supports the spread of research that informs safety-net clinics about the latest thinking in building design.
In an era of heightened competition, safety-net providers need creative ways to deliver comprehensive, cost-efficient care. Long used in the for-profit sector, strategic restructuring — the establishment of formal partnerships ranging from administrative consolidation to mergers — offer a way for clinics and community health centers to strengthen their position and remain viable in the future. With the following resources, CHCF explores different partnership arrangements used by community health centers s and regional consortia. Additional tools and resources geared to organizations interested in exploring their own restructuring opportunities will be added in the future.
Patient experience represents the sum of a patient's interactions (and perceptions of those interactions) with the health care system. It reflects the dimensions of care most important to them: personal interactions and communications, access to care, and how well care is coordinated. Patients who rate their experience with providers highly are more likely to adhere to treatment recommendations and have better outcomes.
A growing body of research finds a "patient-centered" approach to delivering care saves time and money, and improves quality. CHCF is focused on increasing the availability of measurement tools and best practices in the field of patient experience, with a particular emphasis on the safety net.
CHCF commissions independent evaluations of projects when there are opportunities to learn, contribute to the field, or inform our grantmaking. The results of CHCF-funded evaluations are shared publicly as part of our commitment to assessment, learning, and transparency. Below are projects with completed evaluations.