Optimizing Virtual Care (OVC)

On this page:

• About the award
• Technical assistance
• Review award recipient resources
• Contact

About the award

Twenty-nine health centers received fiscal year (FY) 2022 OVC funding. This one-time funding helps you develop, implement, and evaluate new strategies for virtual care. These strategies will help you increase access to care and improve clinical quality.

Quality Improvement Fund

OVC is part of the Health Center Quality Improvement Fund (QIF). QIF supports you to pilot and test new ideas. You propose ideas to improve primary care. Using QIF funding, you test ideas and learn from each other. Solutions can then be shared and scaled across the Health Center Program.

See the Quality Improvement Fund – Maternal Health webpage for information on other QIF awards.

Technical assistance

Get new ideas for virtual care

What are Biannual Briefs? 

Biannual Briefs share lessons learned and insights gained by OVC award recipients. They help health centers across the nation improve access to virtual care. They provide ideas and tips for new or improved virtual care.

Series one captures award recipients' first six months. Topics are:

• Preparing for Launch: Early Lessons Learned from Health Centers on Staffing and Patient Engagement for Virtual Care (PDF - 257 KB)
• Preparing for Launch: Early Lessons Learned from Health Centers on Selecting New Technology and Tools for Virtual Care (PDF - 311 KB)
• Accessing Virtual Care: Insights from Patient Use of Real-Time Telehealth at Health Centers Optimizing Virtual Care (PDF - 434 KB)

Series two captures awardees’ first 12 months. Topics are:

• Adapting Virtual Care Delivery: Health Center Strategies for Addressing Patient and Clinical Challenges (PDF - 306 KB)
• Virtual Care Delivery Settings: Lessons Learned from Delivering Virtual Care in Clinic and Community Settings (PDF - 323 KB)
• Measuring Social Determinants of Health: Exploring Strategies to Reduce Disparities in Accessing Virtual Care (PDF - 432 KB)

What are Journey Maps?

Journey Maps describe the problems some patient groups experience with virtual care. They provide strategies for health centers to make virtual care easier to access.

We created four Journey Maps with input from OVC award recipients. Health centers across the nation can use these Journey Maps in their communities.

We also created the Build Your Own Journey Map. This tool helps health centers find ways to make virtual care easier to access for specific groups of patients.

We recommend you begin with the Guide to the Virtual Care Journey Maps (PDF - 218 KB) before looking at each Journey Map.

• People Experiencing Homelessness (PDF - 474 KB) in urban areas using synchronous telehealth to access primary care
• Older Adults (PDF - 526 KB) in rural areas using remote patient monitoring to manage multiple chronic conditions
• Residents of Urban Public Housing (PDF - 559 KB) using a mobile health app for prenatal care
• Adolescents (PDF - 540 KB) at urban school sites using asynchronous and synchronous telehealth for mental health care
• Build Your Own Journey Map (PDF - 1 MB) provides instructions to make your own journey map for a specific group of patients
• References for OVC Journey Maps (PDF - 809 KB)

Read health center stories

Learn more about what OVC award recipients have done with their awards:

• Peak Vista Community Health Centers is expanding oral health care while lowering costs through tele-dentistry.
• Community Health Center, Inc., uses a virtual tool that surveys patients about their mental health between clinic visits.
• Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center added a digital literacy program and telehealth kiosks.
• Evara Health launched a program to provide care to patients with chronic diseases at home.
• South Central Family Health Center created a digital diabetes management program with remote monitoring.

Use telehealth references

• View the Uniform Data System (UDS) Resources to access resources that support complete, accurate, and timely submission of annual UDS reports.
• The Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality (HITEQ) Center is a HRSA-funded partner. They help health centers use health information technology. They also provide materials for developing and implementing projects.
• Telehealth Resource Centers offer technical assistance and coaching for telehealth.
• Telehealth.hhs.gov provides information about federal efforts to support and promote telehealth.
• The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has tools and resources for sharing innovations and learning about the social determinants of health (SDOH).
• Healthy People 2030 sets national standards to improve health and well-being, including SDOH and health information technology.
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion provides health literacy and communication tools.
• National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center helps you choose the right technologies for your telehealth program.
• Health care providers can apply for voice and data or broadband funding through the Universal Service Administrative Co.'s (USAC) Rural Health Care Program.
• Patients can apply for free or low cost phone and internet services through USAC's Lifeline Support.
• From Coverage to Care Telehealth Resources (PDF - 2 MB) (CMS) explains the basics of telehealth and how your family can use it.
• HRSA/BPHC Strategic Partnerships (HCCNs, NTTAPs, and PCAs) address the training and technical assistance (T/TA) needs of health centers.

Review award recipient resources

• Health Center Program Community offers more information and regular updates
• FY 2022 OVC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PDF - 448 KB)
• OVC Frequently Asked Questions
• June 1, 2021, OVC Applicant Question and Answer Session Presentation Slides (PDF - 468 KB) 
• May 7, 2021, OVC Applicant Technical Assistance Webinar Presentation Slides (PDF - 948 KB) 

Contact

If you have a question about:	You can reach us at the:
Program	Email address for the Program Official stated on your Notice of Award
Budget	Email address for the Grants Management Specialist stated on your Notice of Award