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CHCs have historically kept communities healthy quietly, but their work is undervalued and undercoded. Adopting value-based care strategies, like annual wellness visits, can make their efforts visible, ensuring they continue to serve vulnerable populations effectively.
So much of the work done in community health centers can feel invisible.
I’ve spent my career working in and with federally qualified health centers (FQHC) and community health centers (CHC). I’ve seen firsthand how community health center patients are positively impacted by the care provided at these institutions.
CHCs serve 52 million Americans. But they don’t put up flashy billboards touting awards; they serve their communities quietly. And they do it well. While they provide primary care for 14% of the U.S. population, they account for 1% of total healthcare spending, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).
And so much of primary care provided at CHCs is invisible outside of the exam room. When chronic illnesses like congestive heart failure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease are managed, there are fewer emergency room visits, fewer hospital stays and healthier patients who aren’t seen elsewhere in the system. It’s not the type of work that grabs headlines. And if that work isn’t coded consistently and correctly, CMS won’t even know a patient has a controlled chronic illness — making that work functionally invisible.
But when CHCs join value-based care models, they show their value to the system and the work becomes visible.
And they can’t afford not to.