Health centers, both Federally Qualified Health Centers, which receive Federal funding, and Federally Qualified Health Center Look-A-likes, which do not, must meet a strict set of requirements. Included in these requirements are a set of clinical expectations that guide both the types of services offered as well as the quality of those services. While the intent of these requirements is to assure quality service to health center patients, many clinics struggle to understand how to design and manage their site to meet the requirements.

The Migrant Clinicians Network is an excellent resource to new, potential and existing wanting additional assistance or information about the clinical requirements of 330 funding. In this section of our website you will find information about developing a health care plan, the very latest information on new clinical core measures, as well as many other resources to help you better manage your clinic.

If you do not find what you need on this page, you may contact MCN’s Director of
Performance Improvement, Candace Kugel, CRNP, CNM, MS for further guidance.

More Information on Clinical Core Measures:

HRSA has introduced the Core Clinical Measures set (CCM) to address its grantees' important role in population and community health throughout the lifecycle. Current CCMs are evidence-based measures that target cancer screening, perinatal care and HIV screening, age appropriate immunizations and specific chronic disease parameters. Visit the HRSA website for detailed information about the measures. Offices and Bureaus are each determining which of the measures will be implemented by their grantees. The Bureau of Primary Health Care has adapted these measures to its requirements for 330-funded health center health care plans [link] and UDS reporting [link to below].

The 2008 UDS manual provides detailed instructions to BPHC grantees on how to measure and report on the clinical measures required by the Bureau. These are the same measures now required in grantee health care plans. See Instructions for Table 6B--Quality of Care Indicators and Table 7--Health Outcomes and Disparities.

Additional general resources about quality improvement:

1. Some introductory training on Quality Improvement provided by HRSA and developed by the Morehouse School of Medicine is available as pre-recorded audio and video modules in Real Player software format.
2. The Duke University and Medical Center Department of Family Medicine prepared a module, What is Quality Improvement?, which includes essential discussion and tools to assist providers and teams in their quest for QI.
3. Beck KL, Larrabee JH: A simultaneous analysis of nursing care quality and cost. J Nurs Care Qual 9(4): 63-71, 1995.
4. Flower J: The 13 errors. Physician Exec 24(6):52-54, 1998.
5. HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) quality of care resources.
6. Improving Chronic Illness Care: Overview of the Chronic Care Model