News
12 Arkansas Community Health Center locations to receive funding, participate in a program to improve care
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced recently that 500 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), including 12 Arkansas locations, have been selected for the FQHC Advanced Primary Care Practice demonstration project from over 800 applicants. The 500 community health centers in 44 States across the country will receive approximately $42 million over three years to improve the coordination and quality of care they deliver to people with Medicare and other patients. The initiative is designed to evaluate the impact of the advanced primary care practice model, also known as the patient-centered medical home, on improving health, improving quality of care, and lowering the cost of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries served by FQHCs.
Arkansas locations include: ARcare locations in Augusta, Bald Knob, Hazen, McCrory, Jonesboro, Brinkley, and Kinsett; Corning Area Healthcare locations in Pocahontas and Walnut Ridge; Jefferson Comprehensive Care Systems' Pine Bluff location; and Mid-Delta Health Systems in Clarendon.
The demonstration was developed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) in cooperation with the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). This initiative will provide health care opportunities for nearly 200,000 Medicare beneficiaries aimed at improving their quality and coordination of care while lowering costs.
The demonstration will be conducted from November 1, 2011 through October 31, 2014. Participating health centers will be paid a monthly fee for each eligible person with Medicare that receives primary care services. The CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) and the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) will provide technical assistance to help participating community health centers throughout the demonstration.
More information on the FQHC Advanced Primary Care Practice demonstration project, including a fact sheet, and a list of participating health centers can be found at: http://innovations.cms.gov/areas-of-focus/seamless-and-coordinated-care-models/fqhc/
