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H H S Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
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Technical Assistance (TA) Resources


Access/Facility Needs


The homepage for HRSA's ARRA-funded program for health center capital improvements

CIP FAQ Page (PDF - 455 KB)
Questions and answers organized by the headings/topics of the guidance for the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funding opportunity (HRSA-09-244)

A renovation or construction project may seem risky for a health center, but there are guidelines to reduce liability exposures, manage risks, and reach the vision of a new, updated, and expanded facility.

Health Centers in your State is a tool that should assist everyone involved in the FQHC site application and review process. The purpose of this tool is give you the ability to identify FQHCs and the Satellite sites that are within their approved Scope of Practice.

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Accreditation


The purpose of the Accreditation Initiative is to encourage and support health centers to undergo rigorous and comprehensive survey processes and achieve national benchmarks that demonstrate the highest standards of health care quality.

AAAHC is a private, non-profit organization formed to assist ambulatory health care organizations improve the quality of care provided to patients.

The information center for AAAHC's initiative to provide accreditation for BPHC grantees.

TJC (formerly JCAHO) is a private, non-profit organization formed to assist health care organizations improve the quality of care provided to patients.

NCQA Health Plan Accreditation is the nation’s most trusted independent source for driving health care quality improvement that results in tangible, bottom-line value for health care purchasers.

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Behavioral Health Integration Into Primary Care


This resource is a comprehensive guide to the Veteran's Administration's mental health services.

CDC is releasing the Public Health Action Plan to Integrate Mental Health Promotion and Mental Illness Prevention with Chronic Disease, 2011-2015. This document highlights the importance of mental health promotion and mental illness prevention in a public health context.

The NACHC 2010 Assessment of Behavioral Health Services in FQHCs seeks to identify to what degree health centers have attained integration of services.

The CIHS promotes the development of integrated primary and behavioral health services to better address the needs of individuals with mental health and substance use conditions, whether seen in specialty behavioral health or primary care provider settings.

An in-depth explanation of the relationships between psycho-social factors and health outcomes. Provides a technique that providers can implement to work towards the integration of behavioral health into primary care practices.

This session explores models for integrating behavioral health services into community health centers as well as models for providing primary care services in behavioral health settings. Federal, state and community initiatives are discussed.

The 10x10 Campaign aims to improve the life expectancy of people with mental illnesses by 10 years in 10 years. This resource is a brochure that covers the basics of how the 10x10 goal is to be achieved.

The National Council advocates for public policies that ensure that people who are ill can access comprehensive healthcare services. And we offer state-of-the-science education and practice improvement resources so that services are efficient and effective.

We invite you to listen to a multi-disciplinary panel of Federal staff as well as a BPHC grantee for this HRSA/BPHC Technical Assistance Call on the value of psychologists in federally qualified health centers and other integrated behavioral health settings. For audio and transcript of this session, please see the BPHC Technical Assistance Catalog for Grantees at http://bphc.hrsa.gov/technicalassistance/trainings/granteetacatalog.pdf.

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Billing and Collections


This presentation, developed by the Salud Family Health Centers, covers billing and collections tipics such as, communication with patients, cashier duties, collecting from patients, date of service, past due accounts, and safe usage.

Health center management must operationalize the health center's mission and strategic objectives. Health center management must be supported by strong personnel, financial, information, and clinical systems.

The Technical Assistance Costing Tool (TACT) is an Excel-based software tool that lets providers identify how much their services cost. It uses basic patient information to calculate patient care expenses, providing grantees with cost information on their clinical services that can then be used for billing and reimbursement with managed care organizations and other third party payors.

This article is for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) submitting claims to Medicare contractors (Fiscal Intermediaries (FIs) and/or A/B Medicare Administrative Contractors (A/B MACs)) for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

Migrant Health Promotions created 4 new sample budgets reflecting different compensation models for Promotor(a) programs. Sample budgets for full-time Promotor(a) programs, part-time Promotor(a) programs, contractual programs and volunteer programs are available free for download on MHP’s website.

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Clinical Care


A joint EPA-CDC-ATSDR initiative for community initiatives to improve environmental health at a local level. This resource contains mapping tools, data, and many other resources related to environmental health.

ATSDR offers environmental health and medicine education products for health professionals, community members, and interested members of the public. These materials are designed to increase awareness and knowledge of how the environment interacts with human health and includes tools to promote the positive health aspects and prevent and/or minimize the known adverse health impacts of these interactions.

A free, illustrated easy-to-read monthly column that compares drugs for preventing heart attacks, heart failure or strokes in people with stable coronary heart disease is one of six new Spanish-language publications from HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that help patients compare treatments for common illnesses.

Healthcare providers fully comprehend the impact of tobacco use on health. However, expanding scope of services to include smoking cessation can seem burdensome. This webinar outlines the importance of tobacco control strategies in integrated care settings, as well as provide practical strategies for implementation, including evidence-based clinical and administrative solutions.

The Health Center Program incorporates quality-related performance measures that place emphasis on health outcomes and demonstrate the value of care delivered by health centers. This page summarizes the current Community Health Center Performance Measures.

OPA emphasizes the importance of comprehensive pharmacy services being an integral part of primary health care. Comprehensive pharmacy services include patient access to affordable pharmaceuticals, application of "best practices" and efficient pharmacy management and the application of systems that improve patient outcomes through safe and effective medication use.

NGC is a public resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.

HealthcareCommunities.org (HC) is a web-based knowledge management system that provides multiple means for the healthcare quality improvement community to share knowledge and contribute to each others’ QI work.

Download page for apps that allow searches of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on your PDA or mobile device.

This page provides many resources related infectious disease transmitted in health care settings.

This page provides many resources related Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, including tools to help providers to better diagnose and treat the disease

This resource guide addresses the quality improvement, clinical research, patient and provider education, and resource development needs of Community Health Center (CHC) clinicians.

This resource contains an extensive program for clinical quality improvement, as well as links to other timely and applicable tools that are useful to primary care providers

MCN has been collecting forms, policies, tools and protocols from health centers across the U.S. in an effort to make them available to others working to provide quality health care to the underserved.

A HRSA tool to provide health care professionals with the knowledge and tools to assess their patient's health literacy and effectively communicate to ensure patient understanding of health related information.

PCDC transforms healthcare in underserved communities through high-impact financing, innovative services, and policy leadership that help providers expand access to high-quality, patient-centered primary care.

This tool kit has direct links, whenever possible, to web-based materials, and contact information for obtaining materials available in other formats (e.g., DVDs, etc.). for about 50+ materials, modules and resources, directed at training medical students and residents, nursing students, and other interdisciplinary trainees, to provide high quality care to patients with disabilities throughout the life course.

Pregnant women who are assaulted by an intimate partner are at increased risk of giving birth to infants of reduced weight, according to a population-level analysis of domestic violence supported by the National Institutes of Health. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has developed a slide presentation for physicians, advising them on how to screen patients for intimate partner violence, how to assess patients’ safety, and where to refer patients for additional help.

This webinar will describe a novel approach to treating chronic pain via an integrated team of providers that includes a primary care physician, mental health professional, and pain medicine specialist.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex disorder characterized by overwhelming fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. Because the cause (or causes) of CFS have not been identified and no specific diagnostic tests are available, diagnosis and management of CFS can be challenging to healthcare providers. CDC is pleased to announce the launch of a free continuing education activity for healthcare providers titled "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Challenges in Primary Care." The course is being hosted by Medscape, an accredited CME/CE/CPE education provider. This engaging video roundtable features expert faculty and focuses on diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome for all healthcare providers with an emphasis in the primary care field.

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Community Development/Needs Assessment


A robust database for generating visual and numerical data summaries derived from the Uniform Data System and elsewhere.

A sub-section of the HRSA Data Warehouse that includes a searchable database by state of HRSA programs, and includes population statistics, birth and infant death statistics, grant activity, Medically Underserved Areas/Populations, Health Professional Shortage Areas, National Health Service Corps participants, and Health Center sites.

There are an increasing number of service area overlap-related issues emerging that involve federally funded health centers, FQHC Look-Alikes, and/or current applicants for Federal health center funding. This PIN clarifies some of those issues.

This website contains resources to help to develop or strengthen governance structure, clinical services, administration, and finance. In addition, it provides information important to health centers regarding federal grant requirements and legislation.

A centralized location for many of NACHC's training and guidance opportunities.

A resource for groups interested in starting an FQHC, or otherwise improving their community's primary care market for the underserved.

This report provides a platform for organizations to showcase their outreach efforts, share their ideas and best practices, as well as mentor other organizations that seek both the inspiration and practical tools required to implement strategies, programs, and activities that have proven effective in the field.

A newly improved, straightforward resource for accessing the vast data available from past and present census activities. This tool is particluarly useful in assessing the social conditions prevalent in a health center service area.

The Partnership Center leads the Department's efforts to build and support partnerships with faith-based and community organizations in order to better serve individuals, families and communities in need.

AHRQ produced a set of fact sheets to provide health care policy and decisionmakers with information on the U.S. primary care workforce.

Webinar on managing high-risk patients in an accountable care organization

Quality Plan Assessment Tool (MS Word - 845 KB) Exit Disclaimer
Developed by the Georgia Primary Care Association

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Continuing Professional Education


The National Association of Community Health Centers offers a wide variety of trainings that encompass all facets of health center operations.

Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, comprising 30+ specialty-focused websites offering thousands of free CME/CE courses (ranging from 0.25 credits to 2 credits AMA PRA credits) and not-for-credit activities for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

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Contractual/Affiliation Agreements


PIN 98-24 amends PIN 97-27 to clarify how health centers can affiliate with other entities.

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Credentialing/Priviledging


Questions have arisen regarding the specific requirements for credentialing and privileging these individuals. This PIN explains these requirements in more detail for all Bureau of Primary Health Care-supported Health Centers.

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Electronic Handbook (EHB)


EHBs Knowledge Base allows you to access articles, frequently asked questions, and other resources to help you successfully navigate through the EHBs.

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Emergency Preparedness


The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property and harm to the environment.

How quickly your company can get back to business after a terrorist attack or tornado, fire or flood often depends on emergency planning done today. Start planning now to improve the likelihood that your company will survive and recover.

This web conference provides information of personal and professional crisis planning and response and the roles and responsibilities that exist for Health Center dentists during a crisis response.

This page is a compilation of resources to help providers and emergency health care personnel plan for and respond to bioterrorism events or public health emergencies.

An extensive crosswalk of emergency preparedness plan elements.

Vaccines.gov is the federal gateway to information on vaccines and immunization for infants, children, teenagers, adults, and seniors. Vaccines.gov provides resources from federal agencies for the general public and their communities about vaccines across the lifespan.

NACHC site offering specific tools from the field that health centers can utilize in their emergency management planning.

The Disaster Distress Helpline is the Nation's first hotline dedicated to providing disaster crisis counseling. The toll-free helpline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Poison Help Widget is an online tool about poison prevention designed to add an interactive feature to your Web site, personal blog, Facebook or Twitter page. To get the widget on your site, click the embed button on the widget and copy and paste the code into your Web site. 

This is an eLearning module about poison centers in partnership with the HRSA’s Office of Pharmacy Affairs.  The module provides an overview of poison center resources, relevant poisoning trends, strategies for integrating poison center services into clinical practice and information about accessing a poison center. These modules offer continuing education credits for healthcare professionals and are available through September 28, 2012. 

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Evaluation


The Innovations Exchange allows users to: Find evidence-based innovations and Quality Tools, view new innovations and tools published biweekly, and learn from experts through events and articles.

HealthcareCommunities.org (HC) is a web-based knowledge management system that provides multiple means for the healthcare quality improvement community to share knowledge and contribute to each others’ QI work.

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Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA)


The Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Health Center Policy Manual is the primary source for information on the FTCA for the Health Center Program grantees and related stakeholders.

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Financial Management and Control Policies


This plan is required when it is determined that an organization supported with a Federal grant awarded by the BPHC has serious financial problems that threaten both its stability and viability.

The Federal Audit Clearinghouse's primary purposes are: To disseminate audit information to Federal agencies and the public, to support OMB oversight and assessment of Federal award audit requirements, and to assist Federal cognizant and oversight agencies in obtaining OMB Circular A-133 data and reporting packages.

This page is a central source for information related to federal poverty guidelines, as well as information on poverty and demographic research

Capital Link works with the Primary Care Associations (PCAs) to provide statewide and regional assistance in developing capital resources for health centers.

This page provides information on dental coding and fee structures.

To be effective in operating Health Center oral health programs, understanding basics of financial management is the key.

HRSA Office of Pharmacy Affairs 340B Peer to Peer Webinar Series:Pharmacy Implementation

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FQHC Look-Alike Program


This page provides all current information pertaining to HRSA policy related to FQHC Look-Alikes.

With the implementation of electronic information systems through EHB, FQHC Look-Alikes, applicants, and HRSA staff will have ready access to reliable information needed for effective decision-making and program implementation.

The Missouri Hospital Association and the Missouri Primary Care Association have prepared this report detailing promising practices for collaboration between hospitals and FQHCs.

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FTCA


The Federally Supported Health Centers Assistance Act of 1992 and 1995 granted medical malpractice liability protection through the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) to HRSA-supported health centers. Under the Act, health centers are considered Federal employees and are immune from lawsuits, with the Federal government acting as their primary insurer.

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Governance/Board


Health centers funded by HRSA must have a governing body which assumes full authority and oversight responsibility for the health center. Governance requirements for health centers are addressed in law, regulations, and policies. This page outlines governance requirements for health center grantees

This handbook helps orient new members of community and migrant health center governing boards about their roles and responsibilities. It explains the purpose and responsibilities of a nonprofit governing board and presents an overview of how board activities relate to day-to-day functions of health center operations.

CHAMPS has compiled and developed a selection of online resources for Community Health Center Executive Directors (EDs) and Board of Directors (BOD) members, to help CHCs build and maintain strong and effective governing structures.

This manual covers such things as recruitment, meeting management, by-laws/guidelines, and how to make recommendations for changes within your local Health Care for the Homeless program.

A listing of services available through Health Outreach Partners that includes consultation on governance issues, as well as training, strategic planning, and several other key areas.

"The 2011 PCMH Workbook is a detailed overview and ""how-to"" document that provides guidance and examples of documentation for the entire PCMH process. Thanks to Dr. Chip Watkins for many hours of research and compilation, and to partner organizations for use of their materials. It's a large (3.5 MB) Excel document, so it may take a few minutes to download. "

A new series of online videos enacting phases in a health center development of a board. Includes discussion and resource guides.

A series of briefs on health center governance available in both English and Spanish

ECRI Website with links and information on how health centers can establish an effective internal crfedentialing system.

All-A-Board is a site for board members and staff to share, explore, and learn about health center governance. •Find examples, guidance, checklists, etc. on governance policies, roles, and responsibilities; •Post resources to share with other board members and staff; •Ask questions about best practices; •Discover useful websites and learning opportunities.

New NACHC guidance series – Governing Board Responsibilities and How to Do Them. Each of the nine documents in the series describes a Health Center Program governance requirement, information for the board to receive (usually from staff), questions for the board to review, and expected answers

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Grants Management


A centralized location for HRSA-based grant information, including funding statistics

This tutorial provides important information that will assist awardees in the successful administration and fiscal management of their grant award and or cooperative agreement.  While this tutorial highlights or summarizes important issues, it does not serve as a substitute for the HHS Grants Policy Statement (GPS) or any other federal requirements, program requirements, provisions or terms of award.

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Health Care and Business Plan Performance Measures


This page describes the health center performance measures; selected to provide a balanced and comprehensive representation of health center services, clinically prevalent conditions among underserved communities, and the population across life cycles.

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Health Center Data


The Uniform Data System (UDS) is a core set of information appropriate for reviewing the operation and performance of health centers.

A directory of Health Center Networks offering helpful tips to engage directly with potential network partners. The Guide is a collaborative project between HRSA and the National Association of Community Health Centers.

the Rankings assess the overall health of nearly every county in all 50 states based on key factors that influence health, such as education rates, income levels, and access to healthy foods and medical care. This year’s Rankings include several new measures, such as how many fast-food restaurants are in a county and levels of physical inactivity among residents. Graphs illustrating premature death trends over 10 years are new as well.

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Health Center Policies and Regulations


A summary of the key health center program requirements .

The complete text of the legislation creating the community health center program.

A resource used by on-site consulants to assess the performance of BPHC grantees. The site visit guide is also quite useful for grantees in search of a wide variety of research, tools, templates, and guidance.

Policy Information Notices (PINs) define and clarify policies and procedures that grantees funded under Section 330 must follow. Program Assistance Letters (PALs) summarize and explain items of significance for health centers, including, for example, HRSA program implementation activities, recently enacted laws, final regulations, and/or new HHS initiatives.

The HRClearinghouse is a collection of resources organized according to major categories of work performed by Human Resources personnel. Viewers should understand that the content of resources should be reviewed by an organization’s legal counsel before adopting the content for the organization’s own use.

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Health Information Technology (HIT)


Health IT and Quality webinars are technical assistance webcasts for HRSA grantees and other safety net providers who are either using or planning to use health IT to improve the quality of patient care. Each webinar features experts with hands-on experience from within the safety net community, as well as speakers with various grantee experiences and federal expertise.

This webinar focuses on how safety net providers such as health centers and rural providers can generate quality reports and utilize this data for improving healthcare outcomes. This webinar’s presenters will demonstrate how they use health IT and/or electronic health records systems as a tool for generating quality reports. Furthermore, these safety net providers will demonstrate how they use their health center or critical access hospital clinical data for successfully coordinating care among provider teams, informing and engaging patients on care decisions, and for improving health quality and outcomes.

A large repository of health information technology-related topical tools, resources, webinars, and links to other federal and non-federal resources.

The Health Resource Services and Administration’s (HRSA) Health Information Technology (IT) and Quality Webinars are technical assistance webcasts for HRSA grantees and the safety net community. These webinars are intended for safety net providers either using or planning to use health IT as a tool to improve quality in their delivery of patient care.

EHR selection guidelines developed in consultation with health center clinicians, Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), Chief Medical Informatics Officers (CMIOs), HRSA staff, and health information technology (HIT) experts,

The vendor-neutral workshops will provide insights and tools for successfully negotiating the stages of EHR implementation from planning to post- implementation optimization of use which will qualify users for the CMS Incentive Payment.

ONC is the principal Federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information.

This webinar provides tips and guidance of how safety net providers, such as health centers, critical access hospitals, and rural health clinics can overcome common gray areas of meeting Meaningful Use Stage 1 objectives. Gray areas are objectives within the final rule that are still not clear to providers. Presenters from the Regional Extension Centers (REC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will review these problem areas based on previous comments and questions directed to HRSA, CMS, and ONC staff from safety net providers.

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HIPAA


A list of HIPAA tools and resources relevant to HRSA-funded programs.

A list of CMS HIPAA policy interpretation, tools and resources relevant to most health care providers in the US.

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HIV/AIDS


The homepage for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy on imporving HIV/AIDS care in health centers.

The clinical guidelines portal for HIV/AIDS treatment.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issues a series of guidelines to help doctors treat people with HIV in the United States. HRSA has developed complementary clinical protocols and practices that provide detailed information on the effective delivery of HIV care.

Grant announcement with details on the ECHPP 12 Cities project which is to facilitate the development and implementation of Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plans (ECHPPs) for MSAs most affected by the HIV epidemic in order to reduce HIV risk and incidence in those areas.

The homepage for all current HIV/AIDS Bureau grant opportunities.

TA Resources for Ryan White Care Act Grantees

A source for finding treatment, counseling, and education related to HIV/AIDS closest to you.

The Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Hotline is a resource for finding treatment for those who may have been recently exposed to HIV.

The National HIV Telephone Consultation Service (Warmline) offers physicians and other health care providers up-to-the-minute HIV clinical information, and individualized expert case consultation across the broad range of clinical HIV/AIDS problems.

Developed for the National Aging Network and others interested in educating older adults, the U.S. Administration on Aging HIV: Know the Risks. Get the Facts. Older Adults and HIV/AIDS Toolkit contains helpful resources and materials specifically designed to inform older adults about the risks of HIV/AIDS and to encourage older adults to know their status.

NASTAD examined the level of collaboration between state health department HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis programs and community health centers through a two-fold assessment in 2011. A one-day consultation and a national survey of state health departments served as a basis for this report.

The National HIV/AIDS Clinicians' Consultation Center, developed out of the University of California, San Francisco Department of Family and Community Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, a national resource to obtain timely, expert and appropriate responses to clinical questions related to HIV/AIDS.

Older Adults and HIV/AIDS Toolkit contains helpful resources and materials specifically designed to inform older adults about the risks of HIV/AIDS and to encourage older adults to know their status

HIV/AIDS Bureau's cooperatiave agreement, the National Quality Center has developed an on-line quality tutorials via its Qualitiy Academy. There are 27 tutorials, about 1/3 are HIV specific, the others are not specific to HIV but quality improvement more generally.

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Homeless Service Delivery


This Resource Guide provides a greater understanding to both current and prospective grantees of the clinical components of delivering services to homeless individuals.

The National Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Council is a home for those who work to improve the health of homeless people and who seek housing, health care, and adequate incomes for everyone. In the National HCH Council, agencies and individuals, clinicians and advocates, homeless people and housed people come together for mutual support and learning opportunities, and to advance the cause of human rights.

This manual, developed by the National Health Care for the Homeless, covers such things as recruitment, meeting management, by-laws/guidelines, and how to make recommendations for changes within your local Health Care for the Homeless program.

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Lesbian - Gay - Bisexual - Transgender Health Care


The Healthcare Equality Index measures how equtably healthcare facilities in the Unider States treat their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients and employees.

The National Resource Center on LGBT Aging has a page devoted to behavioral health issues including cultural competency, ageism, and HIV and aging issues.

Resources for health centers seeking to provide LGBT-friendly care

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Managed Care


Policy analysis on managed care implementation at the state level.

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Management Information Systems


The BPHC resource for information and tools related to HIT and health care quality.

Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCN) are networks of safety net providers who ensure access to health care for the medically underserved populations through the enhancement of health center operations, including health information technology.

These resources were compiled to help Community Health Centers stay informed about the new and changing world of Health Information Technology (HIT).

Qualis Health strives to achieve performance excellence for our clients by adhering to best practices that lead to better quality care, high patient and provider satisfaction and greater efficiency.

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Meaningful Use


These webinars are intended for safety net providers either using or planning to use health IT as a tool to improve quality in their delivery of patient care.

The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) as they adopt, implement, upgrade or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.

The ONC Website highlighting tools and information for both providers and consumers on Electronic Health Records and Meaningful Use.

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Medicaid


The HRSA Administrator requested clarification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the statutory requirements pertaining to Medicaid reimbursement to FQHCs and RHCs for behavioral health services. CMS responded by issuing a memo indicating that SMAs are required to reimburse FQHCs and RHCs for behavioral health services provided by physicians, physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, and clinical social workers.

The CMS page on the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Official site for Medicaid general information, coding, consumer enrollment and coverage, incentives, prescription drugs, state waiver and demonstration programs, and other resources.

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Medical Records (Including EHR)


This handbook provides a consolidated set of information related to Community Health Centers and their adoption of EHR and other health information technology.

An open forum for EMR, EHR, HIT and HIPAA questions and answers.

Tech Soup provides technology products and information geared specifically to the unique challenges faced by nonprofits and libraries.

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Medicare


The homepage for CMS-based resources related to the Medicare Shared Savings program, commonly known as Accountable Care Organizations.

The main web page for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Medicare program.

CMS has established Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) as an alternative to the paper (CMS-855) enrollment process. Internet-based PECOS will allow physicians, non-physician practitioners and provider and supplier organizations to enroll, make a change in their Medicare enrollment, view their Medicare enrollment information on file with Medicare, or check on status of a Medicare enrollment application via the Internet.

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Mental Health


1-800-273-TALK (8255) or suicidepreventionlifeline.org is a toll-free suicide prevention hotline network comprised of 152 local crisis centers. Callers will be automatically connected to the crisis center that is geographically closest to them.

Young women face the highest rates of dating violence and sexual assault. Vice President Biden is focusing his longstanding commitment to reducing violence against women specifically on teens and young women ages 16-24 through the 1 is 2 Many campaign.

Federal Behavioral Health Resources SAMHSA's Treatment Referral Routing Service is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing substance abuse and mental health issues. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information in print on substance abuse and mental health issues. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit SAMHSA's Treatment Referral Routing Service is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing substance abuse and mental health issues. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information in print on substance abuse and mental health issues. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Military OneSource offers three kinds of short-term, non-medical counseling options to active-duty, Guard, and Reserve members and their families. Their counseling services are designed to provide service help with short-term issues such as adjustment to situational stressors, stress management, decision making, communication, grief, blended-family issues, and parenting-skills issues. Call and talk anytime, 24/7 at 1-800-342-9647.

Equips senior living staff with resources to promote mental health and prevent suicide and encourage active participation among residents.

Getting Through Tough Economic Times - provides practical advice on how to deal with the effects financial difficulties can have on your physical and mental health. The web link needs to have SAMHSA in the address.

Mental Health First Aid is a groundbreaking public education program that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Mental Health First Aid is offered in the form of an interactive 12-hour course that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the U.S. and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments. Those who take the 12-hour course to certify as Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help care.

Equips senior living staff with resources to promote mental health and prevent suicide and encourage active participation among residents.

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a comprehensive, integrated, public health approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment services for persons with substance use disorders, as well as those who are at risk of developing these disorders. Primary care centers, hospital emergency rooms, trauma centers, and other community settings provide opportunities for early intervention with at-risk substance users before more severe consequences occur.

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Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers


The Federal Migrant Health Program provides staff support to the National Advisory Council on Migrant Health (NACMH).

Using the Promotor(a) model, Migrant Health Promotion provides culturally-appropriate health education and outreach and sustainable community development to farmworker, migrant, border, and/or other underserved or isolated communities throughout the nation.

MCN's staff has been collecting forms, policies, tools and protocols from health centers across the United States in an effort to make them available to others working to provide quality health care to the underserved.

These resources were compiled in response to requests by Region VIII CHC staff members striving to provide quality services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) and their families. The resources provide up-to-date news and information, clinician information, continuing education, patient education, and much more.

Tackling such topics as cultural competency, health education, recruitment and retention, needs assessment, planning, and evaluation, HOP’s Outreach Reference Manual is a comprehensive and useful resource.

A large resource for forms, curricula, policies and procedures, and many other topics related to farmworker health.

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New Starts Assistance


A comprehensive listing of the 19 program requirements that all BPHC grantees must follow in order to be compliant with the terms of their federal funding.

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Oral Health


HHS Assistant Secretary Howard Koh called for the implementation of an HHS-wide effort to improve the nation’s oral health by realigning existing resources and creating new activities. This new effort seeks to improve coordination and integration among programs to maximize outputs.

The CDC Division of Oral Health Resources is responsible for disseminating best practices in oral health care, coordinating with state and local efforts, providing public health data, and conducting training.

Job description templates for oral health providers. (Scroll to Section X: Human Resources Forms)

Covers several major topic areas related to health center oral health program practice management.

OHRC supports health professionals, program administrators, educators, policymakers, and others with the goal of improving oral health services for infants, children, adolescents, and their families. The resource center collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies; national and state organizations and associations; and foundations to gather, develop, and share quality and valued information and materials.

Information and analysis on dental/oral health provider salaries, provider satisfaction, and recruitment and retention strategies at Health Centers.

The manual is presented in an easy-to-use format, and includes tools and resources like clinic policies, efficiency tips, professional standards, supply lists, floor plans, design tips, photos of equipment, customizable budget worksheets, funding strategies, quality improvement plans, fact sheets, and Web sites.

Links to publications, webinars and presentations.

Dental Forms Library, Conference Sessions, Webinar Archive, publications for Health Center Oral Health Programs

Providing oral care to patients with developmental disabilities requires adaptation of the skills you use every day. In fact, most people with mild or moderate developmental disabilities can be treated successfully in the general practice setting. This booklet presents an overview of physical, mental, and behavioral challenges common in these patients and offers strategies for providing oral care.

NNOHA coordinates a job bank to help connect safety-net dental openings with candidates looking for a career in service to underserved patients.

The “Innovations in Oral Health Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS” is a special supplement to Public Health Reports that presents findings from the Special Projects of National Significance Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s HIV/AIDS Bureau. The Oral Health Initiative encompassed 15 sites from around the country, about half in urban and half in rural communities. The research presented in this supplement shows that innovative program models can engage and retain people who are living with HIV/AIDS into oral health-care services. The articles in this special issue represent the most comprehensive additions to the body of knowledge about oral health care for people living with HIV/AIDS since the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study conducted nearly a decade ago.

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Patient Centered Medical Home


This fact sheet highlights enabling services as a critical factor that should be included in the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model. Community health centers have served as PCMHs and are consistent in their utilization of enabling services, which have been shown to improve care and reduce health disparities for medically underserved AA&NHOPI communities.

This document provides jointly developed guidelines for Patient-Centered Medical Home as developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Physicians (ACP), and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).

National Center for Medical Home Implementation. This resource is for health professionals, families, and anyone interested in creating a medical home for all children and youth.

NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) 2011 is an innovative program for improving primary care. In a set of standards that describe clear and specific criteria, the program gives practices information about organizing care around patients, working in teams and coordinating and tracking care over time.

The Commonwealth Fund provides the primary support for NASHP’s work with state Medicaid and CHIP programs to implement policies that advance the medical home.

The Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) is a coalition of major employers, consumer groups, patient quality organizations, health plans, labor unions, hospitals, clinicians and many others who have joined together to develop and advance the patient centered medical home (PCMH).

AHRQ Patient-Centered Medical Home Resource Center

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) supports and encourages all Section 330 funded health centers to become a recognized or accredited PCMH. CHAMPS has gathered the following information and resources to assist CHCs in understanding and becoming PCMHs. This webpage is designed to aid CHCs who are brand new to PCMH, those who have started the process of becoming a PCMH, and those who have already applied to become a recognized/accredited PCMH and require additional tools to successfully complete the process.

The National Center for Medical Home Implementation (NCMHI) is a cooperative agreement between the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) with a mission to ensure that every child and youth has access to a medical home.

Clinica Family Health Service video regarding PCMH.

White paper on how medical practices can become PCMHs.

Study from Califormia PCA: Seven primary care clinics share how they reframed their practices — shifting the focus from physicians to patients, and replacing a one-on-one approach with team-based care.

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Patient Satisfaction


The Patient Satisfaction Survey is a short, easily administered questionnaire that provides health centers with information and insight on their patients' view of the services they provide. Health centers can use survey results to design and track quality improvement over time, as well as compare themselves to other health centers.

Sample patient satisfaction survey.

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Practice Management


An online repository for documentation, tools, and resources related to healthcare quality improvement.

Responsibility Charting is a technique for identifying functional areas where there are process ambiguities, bringing the differences out in the open and resolving them through a cross-functional collaborative effort.

Many health care organizations have used the Model for Improvement* very successfully to test and implement changes. Using the key elements of the model, especially testing changes on a small scale with Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles,** has helped organizations improve patient access.

This resource offers advice for benchmarking and improving the standard cycle for health care office visits. The goal is not to reduce total cycle time but to maximize the time the patient spends with the physician or other members of the care team.

This resource provides links, templates, tools and other documents designed to improve the management of dental practices.

Huddles work because they demand rapid team formation and preparation at the practice level. They allow the practice to plan for any changes in the daily work flow, manage crises before they arise, and make adjustments in ways that improves access to patients and quality of life for the staff.

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Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan Initiative


The Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama in March creates a new program – the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) program-- to make health insurance available to millions of Americans denied coverage by private insurance companies because of a pre-existing condition.

These options will give current and future enrollees a greater number of coverage choices and allow people to select the plan that best meets their needs. The new options will be offered in a three-tiered structure beginning January 1, 2011, and will be available in States where the program is federally administered through the Office of Personnel Management.

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Preventive and Primary Care Guidelines


Links to a number of essential resources for understanding HRSA and other HHS care guidelines.

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Public Housing Programs


The NCHPH has developed a practical Resident Health Needs Assessment (RHNA) toolkit to assist PHPC health centers with their mission to provide high quality health care to the public housing resident population. A comprehensive resident health needs assessment offers a systematic method for reviewing residents’ health and helps identify priorities and resource allocations for both reducing disparities and improving health care services.

This practical guide provides tools to develop an effective outreach program using trained community health workers to reach public housing residents. It is designed for use by Community Health Workers (CHWs) and their supervisors.

Many community health center staff have expressed the need to develop a better understanding of their Public Housing Authority (PHA) in order to enhance collaborative efforts. This tool kit provides information, resources and references to enable both residents and community health center staff to partner and collaborate more effectively with their local Housing Authority.

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Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement


Make the most of your quality improvement planning process! Learn about how to design and implement a successful QI program that meets core program and FTCA requirements and drives your quality-related activities.

NPHPSP is a national initiative that has developed a set of standardized goals for state and local public health systems and boards of health.

This set of tools is intended to assist CHCs in becoming familiar with the functions of continuous quality improvement within a health care center and implementing quality improvement activities.

This four hour series on Total Quality Management and Continuous Quality Improvement (TQM/CQI) is accompanied by a resource manual and available on VHS or DVD.

This is a HRSA/BPHC training session on the 2011 Uniform Data System (UDS) new and continuing clinical measures, conducted on Thursday, May 26, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET. The objectives of this training session are to help grantees understand: • What the new measures are and why they are being added, and • How to complete and submit Clinical Measures data on Tables 6B and 7 of the 2011 UDS. For more information on the 2011 UDS clinical measures, please see Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2010-12. The measures were approved and announced during a UDS technical assistance call in January 2011. Please see replay and slides information for “UDS Systems Updates”.

he Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recognizes the need for a toolkit of objective educational tools and resources to assist an organization in its quality improvement (QI) efforts. The HRSA Quality Toolkit is equipped with proven strategies and techniques to effectively support an organization's new or existing QI program.

This HRSA/BPHC is a grantee Enrichment Technical Assistance call featuring a multi-disciplinary panel of Federal staff, academic researchers, and high performing health centers. Information covered includes a review of BPHC’s overall approach to Quality Improvement, Dr. Deborah Gurewich from Brandeis University describing paths to high performance revealed in recent research; and a review of resources available to support grantees on their quality journey by BPHC’s Office of Training and Technical Assistance Coordination (OTTAC).

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Recruitment and Retention


A resource page for health center workforce issues related to Asian and Pacific communities.

This Toolkit has been developed to assist community health centers to support the existing clinical workforce and attain, groom, and retain compassionate healers who provide excellent clinical care and feel professionally at home in a CHC.

This manual is intended to be a guide for best practices relating to clinician recruitment and retention efforts, particularly as they pertain to community health centers nationwide.

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Risk Management


Access evidence-based reviews of patient safety and risk management issues, self-assessment tools, standards and guidelines to, and e-newsletters covering current topics in patient safety and risk management. Learn about common risks to patient care and safety through online courses, Webinars, and audioconferences.

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Rural Health


A product of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Rural Initiative, the Rural Assistance Center (RAC) as a rural health and human services "information portal."

The Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) coordinates activities related to rural health care within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

RUPRI provides comprehensive information on rural health policy, data, academic research, and many topic areas related to rural health and economic development.

The homepage for the US Department of Agriculture's rural health programs, as well as linkages to a number of other resources.

This page provides topical guides to rural health concerns, ranging from hospitals to telehealth to agricultural safety.

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Shortage Area Designations


The Health Resources and Services Administration Shortage Designation Branch develops shortage designation criteria and uses them to decide whether or not a geographic area, population group or facility is a Health Professional Shortage Area or a Medically Underserved Area or Population.

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Sliding Fee Scale


One of the program requirements for all health center grantees, sliding fee scales must follow certain rules, outlined at this site.

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Special Populations


This Supervisor’s Manual was developed to provide basic guidelines to supervisors of Promotor y Promotora de Salud programs.

The School-Based Health Center Continuous Quality Improvement Tool contains instruction and audit forms, and a resource table with links to best practices for each condition.

An extensive archive of webinars related to school-based health care.

The HRSA/BPHC Special Populations web page.

The HRSA web page on cultural competence for health care settings. Effective health communication is as important to health care as clinical skill. To improve individual health and build healthy communities, health care providers need to recognize and address the unique culture, language and health literacy of diverse consumers and communities.

The HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) administers the Ryan White programs, along with several other resources related to HIV treatment and prevention.

This site, sponsored by the Office of Minority Health, offers the latest resources and tools to promote cultural competency in health care. You may access free online courses accredited for continuing education credit as well as supplementary tools to help you and your organization promote respectful, understandable, and effective care to your increasingly diverse patients.

The Office is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.

The CLAS standards are primarily directed at health care organizations; however, individual providers are also encouraged to use the standards to make their practices more culturally and linguistically accessible. The principles and activities of culturally and linguistically appropriate services should be integrated throughout an organization and undertaken in partnership with the communities being served.

This grantee enrichment Technical Assistance call is being convened to draw attention to the significance of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) in Public Health Practice; and to emphasize the importance of recognizing and addressing persistent MCH disparities. Improving the well-being of mothers, infants, and children is an important public health goal. During the call, two HRSA grantees will share information and experiences on what they are doing to improve MCH outcomes in their communities through innovative solutions

The mission of the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DRC) is to advance the effective use of public data on the status of children’s health and health-related services for children, youth and families in the United States. The DRC does this by providing hands-on access to national, state, and regional data findings from large population-based surveys. Data are collected from parents and thus contribute a much needed voice in the drive to improve the quality of health care for children and youth.

HRSA Resource page for health centers to assist in the hiring of veterans and transitioning service members to health centers.

Blog from Dr. Ron Valdisarri listing resources for viral hepatitis in the African American community.

Joining Forces is a nationa initiative that mobilizes all sectors of our society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned.

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State Health Policy


ASTHO's Primary Care project addresses training and technical assistance for state primary care offices and provides information to state health officials on larger access to care and primary care issues.

As we approach the 2014 implementation date, each year will be significant toward building a foundation to support these changes. So what’s next for 2011? Participate in a discussion addressing the timeline for 2011 and approaches legislatures should consider as they move forward.

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia, as well as the 120,000 public health professionals these agencies employ.

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is an independent academy of state health policymakers working together to identify emerging issues, develop policy solutions, and improve state health policy and practice.

To address the widespread lack of access to basic health care, Community Health Centers serve 20 million people at more than 7,000 sites located throughout all 50 states and U.S. territories.

A video primer about CHCs for state and territorial health agencies, state policy makers and other stakeholders.

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories.

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Strategic Planning


The purpose of this white paper is to give healthcare providers a survey of best practices in EMR/EHR implementation, solid examples of leadership, and a glimpse at the return on their investment (ROI) the EMR/EHR offers.

CHAMPS is pleased to announce the release of the 2011 CHAMPS Region VIII Health Center Recruitment & Retention Survey Report (see link below). This resource provides an analysis of data collected in December 2011 from over 1,200 staff members from 94% of the Health Centers across Region VIII; it will provide those Health Centers and the region's Primary Care Associations (PCAs) with information vital to strengthening and enhancing successful recruitment and retention strategies already in place, and to developing new and innovative ways to support successful recruitment and retention of staff.

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UDS


This site hosts a series of webinars organized by UDS table number, each containing step-by-step instruction on how the UDS is to be completed.

The BPHC Helpline can assist in technical assistance issues regarding FTCA, UDS, HCQR, QPR, CIS, BPHC Grant Funding Opportunities, FQHC Look-Alikes.

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Women's Health


The NIH Vulvodynia Awareness Program provides educational materials to key audiences to help women, their partners, and their health care providers  better understand this complex chronic pain disorder. ORWH has supported a variety of initiatives since 2008 to expand and enhance vulvodynia awareness, including co-sponsorship of trans-NIH vulvodynia research initiatives.

The Office on Women's Health (OWH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), works to improve the health and sense of well-being of all U.S. women and girls. OWH serves as the focal point for women's health activities within HHS offices and agencies. OWH leads programs to improve women's health and collaborates across HHS and with other partners on women's health activities.

Kaiser Foundation Fact Sheet providing detailed state-level coverage information for the 50 states and the District of Columbia, including data on the share of women who are uninsured between the ages of 18 to 64.

The Heart Truth is a national awareness and prevention campaign about heart disease in women sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Heart Truth campaign includes the following three components: professional education, patient education, and public awareness.

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Workflow Analysis


This webinar will focus on a variety of important workflow analysis topics specific to health centers and rural hospitals. The presenters are experts in workflow analysis from both rural and urban provider backgrounds within the safety net community.

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Content Last Modified: 9/25/2012 3:24:00 PM