Community Health is a recipient of the Health Center Quality Leader Gold Award, ranking among the top 10% of the Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) nationally, according to a news release Sept. 13.
The federal Community Health Center Program, under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), recognizes quality care each year, ranking Community Health at the highest level as a Gold Health Center Quality Leader and awarding additional badges for Health Information Technology (HIT) and Addressing Social Risk Factors.
“These awards summarize our commitment to excellence in preventive care and chronic disease management, as well as to assisting people in addressing the many health-related social needs that exist in our communities,” said Mike Gardner, Community Health CEO. “Receiving the gold award during our 20th anniversary is especially meaningful marking 20 years of a commitment to excellence and quality care to our community.”
Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badges each year recognize notable improvement achievements in access, quality, health equity, and health information technology.
2024 Gold Health Center Quality Leader
Community Health is the largest FQHC in Vermont, serving 47,000 patients in Rutland and southern Addison counties.
Community Health is Vermont’s largest FQHC. It provides a network of primary care, pediatric, behavioral health, dental, and pharmacy services with offices in Brandon, Castleton, Rutland, Shoreham, and West Pawlet. Community Health dental offices are located in Rutland and Shoreham; Community Health pediatrics is in Rutland; and behavioral health services are available at all of the locations. Community Health Express Care centers, open 7 days a week, are located at the Rutland and Castleton Community Health Centers.
“This award represents a dedicated and wonderful collaboration between many stakeholders and partners,” said Bradley Berryhill, MD, Community Health chief medical officer. “All credit goes to our staff and our clinicians, which I am personally grateful to work with. Truly, it is joyful to be recognized by HRSA, a milestone for Community Health; one that we plan to expand upon to continually improve services to best meet the healthcare needs of our communities.”
The badges are awarded to health centers that meet or exceed national benchmarks for one or more of the clinical quality measures (CQM) groups that promote behavioral health, cancer screening, diabetes health, heart health, HIV prevention and care, and maternal and child health and other clinical and social factors.
“The Gold Award says not only that we deliver our best possible preventive care and management of chronic disease, but that we deliver the best care, being in the top 10% of the FQHCs in the country,” said Moses Hudson-Knapp, RN, Community Health director of population health and quality.“It’s truly extraordinary and it speaks to the durable culture of commitment we have made to the health of our communities at every level where we can engage them.”
The federal Bureau of Primary Health Care funds nearly 1,400 health centers like Community Health providing affordable, accessible, high-quality healthcare to underserved communities at over 15,500 locations nationally.
Advancing health information technology (HIT)
With the HIT award, HRSA recognizes that Community Health has implemented information technology practices to enhance the quality of the services including:
Offering telehealth services
Collecting data on patient social risk factors
Engaging patients through health information technology
Exchanging clinical information online with key providers’ healthcare settings
Community Health fulfilled all these criteria in 2023, earning recognition for these advanced approaches to quality healthcare, including the use of electronic records, an online patient portal, and population health data collection.
“We have to use technology to improve access, engage patients, and leverage data to improve outcomes,” said Hudson-Knapp.”Whether it’s around the management of diabetes or hypertension, preventative screenings, or coordinating care we’re regularly putting the data in front of our leaders and providers so we can see how our efforts translate to outcomes, constantly seeking ways to get better at what we do.”
2024 Addressing Social Risk Factors
Community Health was also recognized for collecting data on patient social risk factors and for increasing the percentage of patients who received enabling services and resources during the last two years.
“Community Health and organizations across the country are moving in the direction of improved data analytics and data-informed decision-making,” said Hudson-Knapp.“Our responsibility is to understand the needs of our patients so we can help address them.That goes beyond developing a medical treatment plan and into the realm of helping people navigate some of the other social needs that so often impact their lives and wellness.”
Community Health currently collects, tracks, and analyzes data on over 20 quality measures including ongoing quality improvement efforts around preventive screenings, care coordination, transitions of care, and management of chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
Community health assessment
Community Health participated in the recently released Community Health Needs Assessment for the Rutland Region, completed every three years. The report identifies health equity as the top priority falling in these three areas: access to care, community connections, and community safety, taking into account continued focus on addressing social risk factors such as access to primary care, mental health care, food, transportation, housing, childcare, and suicide prevention, all programs and issues that fall into Community Health’s quality initiatives.
“We have spent 20 years dedicating ourselves to this work, in these communities,” said Hudson-Knapp.“I’m grateful to be part of an organization that demonstrates such a strong commitment to quality, and to our patients. Every single day of the year, our clinicians and staff provide such excellent care, whether it’s your visit to the office today, that call to your care team with questions or with other needs, or the weekend visit to Express Care. Wherever and whenever it is, both as a team member and as a patient, I feel lucky to be engaged with an organization that is so rich with excellence.”
For more information, visit: chcrr.org.
