Community Health Centers: Dedicated to your Community, Committed to your Health, Centered around YOU!
See the Mission in Action:
OACHC Grows to Meet the Needs of Ohio’s Community Health Centers
A YEAR OF GROWTH: 2022 marked record growth for the OACHC team. Seven new team members joined our mission-driven association, bringing our total team to 26 strong. We also saw team members receive deserved promotions for their hard work and commitment. We look forward to continuing the success of 2022 into the next year and for many years to come!
OACHC STAFF UPDATES
OACHC Welcomed:
Maddie Boone, Workforce Program Coordinator
Susan Hough, HCV DIS Coordinator
Stephanie Hull, Chronic Disease Program Coordinator
Joel Kauffman, Clinical Informatics Program Manager
Chloe Minton, Health IT Specialist
Michael Sharp, Integrated Health Program Manager
Congratulations, OACHC Staff!
Staff Promotions
- Elizabeth Bradley, Manager of Administrative Affairs
- Shereen Bahader, Quality Improvement Coordinator
- Jessica Ball, HCCN Director
- Heather Simpson, Director of Quality Initiatives
- Jennifer Sharp, Accounting Manager
- Brooke Sims, Director of Integrated Health
- Tiffany White, Senior Quality Advisor
Value Based Care
Ohio CPC
43 Organizations
173 Sites
Value Based Care (VBC) was all the buzz in 2022. OACHC and its member health centers seized opportunities to improve patient outcomes and realize savings for quality improvement initiatives. In addition to continuing our partnership with the Ohio Department of Medicaid’s Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) Program, OACHC also supports two Medicaid managed care contracts.
86% Ohio Community Health Centers supported in VBC initiatives
No Mission Without Margin
OACHC’s mission is to ensure access to high-quality affordable health care for all Ohioans through the growth and development of Ohio's Community Health Centers. In 2022, we managed 8 funded projects to achieve this mission.
Gambling SBIRT
- Overview: OhioMHAS, Rutgers and OACHC are working to implement addition of gambling risk questions to SBIRT.
- Health Centers: 3
ODH- Provider Engagement to Address Tobacco Dependence Pilot, Year 2
- Overview: Project's primary goal is to engage providers in tobacco cessation activities, including screening, pharmacotherapy, and referrals to services.
- Health Centers: 5 in Year 1, 5 in Year 2
ODH 1815
- Overview: Project covers Hypertension and Diabetes Quality Improvement.
- Health Centers: Cohort 1: 11 Cohort 2: 10
ODH- FLU FIT
- Overview: Project involving FIT and FOBT kit testing with American Cancer Society and ODH funding.
- Health Centers: 9
ODH- Health Equity
- Overview: Data expansion project to assure adequate resources for data infrastructure and workforce to ensure alignment with data modernization and CDC requirements.
- Health Centers: 10
CDC - Overdose Data to Action (OD2A)
- Overview: OD2A fits into CDC’s broad CDC’s broad framework to address the opioid crisis.
- Health Centers: 7
MNOHI
- Overview: Integration of data into dental care and enhancing interoperability.
- Health Centers: 9
NACHC HIV Clinical Decision Support
- Overview: improve the quality of HIV services, support clinical decision making, and to build sustainable models of care for long-term preventive care
- Health Centers: 2
Fostering UNITY in CommUNITY Health Centers
In support of our Mission, on top of our myriad of peer learning networks, we embark on larger projects with our members. In these projects, we invest OACHC dollars and collaborate with health centers on important initiatives.
Ohio Data Improvement Program (ODIP), Utilizing Azara DRVS
Number of PHCs: 35 total, 8 added in 2022
Quarterly Data Sharing
Participating Health Centers: 40
MindBodyStrong (MBS)
Participating Health Centers: 20
Clinical Leader Coaching
Participating Health Centers: 8 coach/coachee pairs participate with 6 completing all the coaching sessions
OACHC Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN)
In July of 2022, the OACHC HCCN completed its three-year (2019 – 2022) grant period with 22 Participating Health Centers. The team kicked off a new three-year project period (2022 – 2025) in August with 25 Participating Health Centers focusing on leveraging health IT to improve operational and clinical practices in the following areas:
- Enhancing the Patient and Clinician Experience
- Advancing Interoperability
- Using Data to Enhance Value
Advocacy Matters!
2022 advocacy was about raising awareness.
OACHC and our health center members raised their voices through coalition engagement, calls to action, testimony, direct emails, letters of support or concern, monthly newsletter to state offices, and meetings both virtual and in person educating state and federal legislators and agency leaders on the impact policy and regulations can have on CHCs and the communities they serve.
While stateside 340B maintains protections under current law due to 2021 enacted legislation, the big fight continues at the federal level. From virtual fly-ins, Calls to Action, letters to regulators, blogs, twitter storms, and more 2022 – voices were raised on how important 340B is to CHCs and the patients they serve.
2022 Notable Advocacy Matters
House Bill 122
The ability to utilize telemedicine beyond the pandemic became Ohio law on March 23, 2022. OACHC worked with the Medical Board and the Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist Board on rule packages that will maintain the flexibility available during the pandemic.
School Based Health Centers
Secured funding opportunities for the creation of new school based health centers or the expansion of existing centers through the Ohio Department of Health and through Ohio BUILDS, an Appalachian Grant program.
ODM (Ohio Department of Medicaid) FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center) Rule Package
After several years of working with ODM on areas of the administrative code that pertain to CHCs, chapter 5160-28 was updated and implemented 7.1.2022. Along with streamlining we were successful in removing outdated or burdensome requirements and adding to the list of covered services.
Transition to Next Generation of Managed Care
Seven MCOs were selected for the next generation managed care program: AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Inc. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Buckeye Community Health Plan, CareSource Ohio, Inc., Humana Health Plan of Ohio, Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio, Inc. In its transition to centralized credentialing, single pharmacy benefit manager, a patient focused system of care, OACHC continues to work directly with ODM to ensure as smooth a transition as possible for providers and patients.
Theodore E. Wymyslo, MD, 2022 OPCWI Preceptor of the Year Award
Last year, in recognition of the important role preceptors play in mentoring and training the next generation of health care providers, OACHC presented the inaugural OPCWI Preceptor of the Year Award. In 2022 the award was renamed the “Theodore E. Wymyslo, MD, OPCWI Preceptor of the Year Award” in recognition of former OACHC trailblazer for his leadership in creating and developing the Ohio Primary Care Workforce Initiative (OPCWI) program, and his dedication to mentoring and encouraging Health Center clinicians and leaders across the state.
Congratulations to Dr. David Cola, MD of Lifecare Family Health & Dental Center!
Dr. Cola follows the mission of Lifecare FHDC, providing quality and comprehensive healthcare in an effort to improve the patients’ overall health, wellness, and well-being. He educates his students on the importance of integrated healthcare and regularly consults vision to perform a diabetic eye exam while the patient is in the office. He trains students on the social determinants of health and stresses that all patients deserve quality healthcare. His team utilizes the tools provided by OACHC to stimulate learning and promotes the benefits of healthcare centers in Ohio.
OACHC, Lighthouse Communications, & several health centers collaborated to develop three videos created for students training in health centers:
"You as a Provider" explains how the student/provider fits into the health center and the community as a provider
"Community Health Centers Address Social Determinants" explains what social determinants of health are and how health centers are addressing them
"Community Health Centers Embrace Integrated Care"highlights the value of integrated care provided in health centers for both the healthcare team and the patients
Kudos to Health Centers in 2022
We are proud to have supported 52 health centers in receiving HRSA's Community Health Quality Recognition Badges from (91%) featuring:
- 6 Health Center GOLD Quality Leaders
- 1 National Leader in Heart Health
- 1 National Leader in Maternal and Child Health
- 42 PCMH recognition awards
Furthermore, we are thrilled to share that Ohio Community Health Centers are improving in 9 measures of UDS Clinical Quality Measures and are now national leaders (13/18 UDS measures are in the top 25 of all states)!
Happy Retirement to Outstanding Ohio Health Center Leaders
“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.” – Maya Angelou
We wish Marc Bellisario, former CEO of Primary Health Solutions, Jean Polster, former CEO of Neighborhood Family Practice, and Terry Regula, former CEO of My Community Health Center the best in their retirement. We are grateful for your commitment to the Health Center movement and the legacy that they have left.
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