Description
Background: The implementation of the national healthcare reform called The Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the United States has caused millions of low-income non-elderly adults to gain health insurance coverage. As a result, there has been an increase in demand for care by newly insured patients. All primary care providers (PCPs) have been impacted by the increasing demand for care. PCPs called Federally Qualified Health Clinics(FQHCS) are known to serve many uninsured low-income patients and have experienced an increase in demand for care from newly insured patients. This study investigates FQHCs’ strategy to meet the demand for care due to the rise associated with the increase number of people gaining health insurance.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were performed with executive and middle management FQHC administrators from California, Arizona, and Texas. The 60- minute interview was ethically approved by the University of Edinburgh and was conducted during July- September 2015.
Results: A total of 23 interviews were completed. All FQHC administrators reported their clinic experiencing an increase in demand for care. Due to limited capacities as a result of workforce shortage, space, and resources, FQHCs have managed meeting the rise in demand for care by implementing care teams. Care teams constitute various clinical and non-clinical providers working together to manage the care and overall health of their patients. Administrators discussed the strength and weaknesses and its impact on integrating care in their clinic.
Conclusions: The rise in demand for care associated with millions of uninsured patients gaining health insurance coverage from the ACA has caused FQHCs to experience a challenging task to provide timely and appropriate services. Due to factors such as limited capacity and strategic decisions to deliver care a certain way, some FQHCs have focused on using the care team model to meet the rise in demand for care.
Key messages: The study identified the strategy of using care teams by a network of American primary care providers called FQHCs to meet the rise in demand for care. Care teams may be an effective method of delivering care to meet demand and integrating primary care
| Period | 2016 → … |
|---|---|
| Event title | European Public Health Conference 2016 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Vienna, AustriaShow on map |