Community Health Centers Receive Funding to Advance Primary Care Services - November 1, 2011

On Oct. 24, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that 500 community health centers in 44 states will receive $42 million over 3 years to improve the coordination and quality of care delivered to Medicaid beneficiaries and other patients. Made possible by the Affordable Care Act, this Advanced Primary Care Practice demonstration will pay community health centers based on the level of quality of care offered to patients. In turn, health centers will use this funding to expand hours and accommodate patients with urgent care needs – to help patients get the care they need in a primary care setting rather than in an emergency room. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in conjunction with the Health Resources and Services Administration, will operate this demonstration.