Federally Qualified Health Centers

‘Trust Our Patients So They Can Trust Us’

September 18, 2019

Xenia Shih Bion

At an Oakland clinic, patients who once lived on the streets are helping to improve care for the unsheltered.

‘Treat Me Like a Person’: What We’ve Heard So Far from Californians with Low Incomes

August 16, 2019

Medi-Cal, Workforce

A new research project is exploring how Californians in the safety net experience their health care and what they hope to get out of their encounters.

To Switch or Not to Switch — That Is the Question

The role of electronic health records is evolving in most California community health centers, a trend that is challenging managers to consider changing systems to keep up with changing needs.

Putting Prescription Refill Automation Tech to the Test in the Safety Net

Investing in Innovation

The average physician receives 10 to 25 prescription refill requests per day, contributing to a growing administrative burden — especially in under-resourced safety-net institutions. A tech solution helped two California health centers.

Mitch Katz Leads Candid Discussion About Health Costs

Health Care Costs

Video: Mitch Katz, MD, the former Los Angeles County health director who left last year to take the helm of New York City Health + Hospitals, returned to California to give the California Improvement Network his provocative views on managing financial risk and total cost of care.

California FQHCs: Financial and Operational Performance Analysis

This Capital Link report provides an aggregate financial and operational profile of California Federally Qualified Health Centers for 2013–17. This includes financial performance, utilization, payer mix, and more.

The Population Health Learning Network

In partnership with the Center for Care Innovations and the Blue Shield of California Foundation, CHCF launched the Population Heath Learning Network (PHLN) in March 2018. The PHLN aims to improve the health and well-being of more than 1.2 million Californians by strengthening the population health management capabilities of safety-net organizations.

2019 Edition — California’s Health Care Safety Net

Matthew Newman, Eunice Roh

This Almanac report, California’s Health Care Safety Net: A Patchwork of Programs and Providers, presents data on the providers and programs that comprise California’s system for providing health care to people with low incomes.

Health Workforce Shortages Make Telehealth a Lifeline to Rural Care

Anne Sunderland

Workforce, Telehealth, Medi-Cal

Telehealth can help solve California's rural health workforce shortage by more quickly and conveniently connecting patients to distant providers, cutting long travel times and wait lists.

Comments on Proposed Regulation — Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds

Sandra R. Hernández

CHCF submitted this letter to express our strong opposition to the Department of Homeland Security's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("proposed rule") on "public charge," published in the Federal Register on October 10, 2018.

Forces for Change: A Landscape of the Statewide and Regional Clinic Consortia in California

Pacific Health Consulting Group

This report provides a comprehensive landscape of California's statewide and concludes by recommending a series of strategic opportunities to further strengthen consortia impact.

Raven Helps New Technologies Take Flight in the Safety Net

November 5, 2018

Carl Bouthillette

Investing in Innovation

Many California safety-net organizations are eager to find solutions to challenging problems but are overwhelmed by the market. This learning laboratory helps them test solutions and share user experiences.

Overcoming Data-Sharing Challenges in the Opioid Epidemic

Robert Belfort, Alex Dworkowitz

Behavioral Health

Federal confidentiality rules, such as the "Part 2" rules, can be a stumbling block for primary care practices seeking to integrate substance use disorder treatment. This paper summarizes the rules and outlines steps that practices can take to coordinate care and stay within the law.

Jill’s Story: The Power of Telehealth in Rural California

Christopher Perrone

Behavioral Health, Medi-Cal, Workforce

A woman living in rural California talks about how technology helped her overcome her community's shortage of mental health practitioners to get counseling that put her life back on track. Watch the video and hear Jill's story.

Sustainable Models of Telehealth in the Safety Net

Telehealth, Medi-Cal

Working with Medi-Cal managed care plans and community health centers across the state, CHCF is implementing the initiative, Sustainable Models of Telehealth in the Safety Net, to improve access to specialty care among Medi-Cal enrollees.