This summer has flown by and it appears to be one of the busiest that I can remember in a long time. During July, I had the opportunity to attend the Office of Rural Health Policy FLEX Conference and listen to Mary Wakefield. She spoke about access to high quality healthcare in rural areas and the challenges that our rural communities face with older populations and higher rates of chronic disease. She explained how care coordination, quality improvement, the Triple Aim and patient centered care will drive the payment delivery system in the future. Mary’s challenge to all of us was for the need to inform key stakeholders and share our stories.
One of the best ways to inform and share is to participate in the third annual Safety Net Clinic Week, August 20 – 24, 2012, Strengthening Colorado’s Health Care Safety Net!
Safety Net Clinic Week is a collaborative effort between CRHC and ClinicNET and is intended to raise a greater awareness through education of the public and policy makers about the vitally important role of federally certified Rural Health Clinics (RHC) and Community-Funded Safety Net Clinics (CSNC). CRHC and ClinicNET have received a Governor’s proclamation for Safety Net Clinic Week 2012.
Currently, we have 53 RHCs that serve approximately 175,000 rural Coloradans in 47 counties. RHCs can be provider based or free standing and must, at a minimum, provide outpatient healthcare services, emergency care for common life-threatening conditions and a limited number of in-house lab tests. It is a common saying that “all health care is local” and in rural communities this is especially true. RHCs are defined by the histories and cultures of the communities in which they are located.
By having RHCs in our rural communities, community members have great access to primary care. RHCs not only provide access to care, but work tirelessly to improve the quality of care provided and to reduce the costs of that care. As you know, the Triple Aim (improved quality, increased access and reduced cost) is a critical component to healthcare now and will become how we are all measured in the future.
Many of Colorado’s RHCs are leaders and last year, one of our RHCs achieved Level 3 NCQA Patient Centered Medical Home recognition and many others are also working towards recognition. Of the 53 RHCs, approximately 95% are currently working with CRHC to implement electronic health records and achieve meaningful use. Despite the fact that many do not qualify for the incentive funding, they all have the commitment to ensure connectivity and are proceeding without federal grant funding. CRHC is highly committed to advocating for rural communities and all safety net providers and we hope that you will get involved by playing an active role in Safety Net Clinic Week, August 20-24, 2012.
Thank you to all of our safety net providers for everything you do!
For more information on Safety Net Clinic Week visit the CRHC website.
