Health Center Program Compliance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can’t find your answer here? Please submit your question through the BPHC Contact Form and select the appropriate issue type, or call Health Center Program Support at 1-877-464-4772.
The term “site visit” in these FAQ refers to:
- Operational Site Visits (OSVs) conducted for awardees
- OSVs conducted for look-alikes
- Initial Designation (ID) site visits conducted for look-alike applicants
The information in these FAQ only relates to requirements and processes of the HRSA Health Center Program.
Scope of project
At a minimum, HRSA considers the following factors to determine if a service or activity is provided on behalf of the health center:
- The service or activity benefits the health center target population;
- Health center providers (specifically, employees, contractors, or volunteers) deliver in-scope services working under the direction of the health center;
- The health center pays for health center provider time using grant or non-grant funds included in the health center project total budget;
- Health center providers deliver in-scope services or carry out in-scope activities based on the health center’s policies and procedures;
- The health center governing board has control and authority over the activities and provision of all in-scope services, whether the activities take place at a health center site or at another location within the community;
- For services provided through a contract or formal referral agreement, the health center’s governing board approves the contract or formal referral agreement;
- The health center establishes and maintains a patient record for all individuals served; and
- The health center bills for the services, as applicable.
There may be other factors that indicate a service or activity is provided on behalf of the health center and within the health center scope of project. HRSA may need and request more information from health centers when assessing change-in-scope requests.
Note: Certain changes for a health center’s scope of project require HRSA prior approval. For more information, refer to HRSA Health Center Program Scope of Project and HRSA’s Policy Information Notice (PIN) 2008-01: Defining Scope of Project and Policy for Requesting Changes (PDF - 224 KB). If you have questions about whether a service your health center provides or is planning to provide would be considered by HRSA to be in scope or if you have questions about change in scope requests, use the “Program Monitoring H80 / Change in Scope” section on the BPHC Contact Form.
(Updated: 11/1/2023)