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H H S Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Primary Care

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Clinical Care/Services

 Information for clinicians and other health care providers regarding preventive care and clinical practices, including oral health and HIPAA.


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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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.

Access information to understand the impact of the disease, influence health outcomes, and improve access to quality health care

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.

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.

Customizable materials from CDC that may be helpful when serving reproductive age women.

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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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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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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.

The Disaster Mental Health Handbook directs disaster mental health (DMH) responders through DMH work across the continuum of preparedness, response and recovery and for chapter, regional and national-level responses. It provides information and procedures for DMH responders providing Red Cross approved DMH interventions for individuals, families, neighborhoods, communities and Red

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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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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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.

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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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.

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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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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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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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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Content Last Modified: 2/28/2013 9:53:00 AM