Health Center Controlled Network - For over 40 years, the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers (OACHC) has been a steadfast advocate for the growth and advancement of the Health Center Program’s innovative care model. Over those four decades, OACHC has proudly served as a Health Center Controlled Network (OACHC HCCN) for the past 9 years. To build on this important work, OACHC HCCN is applying for the HRSA FY 2025 Cooperative Agreement to expand and include new Ohio Health Centers and look-alikes. The OACHC HCCN will support 37 Federally Qualified Health Centers and FQHC Look-Alikes in Ohio. Our OACHC HCCN members collectively operate more than 317 sites throughout 64 of the 88 counties and provide care to over 647,366 patients annually, the vast majority of whom are below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Ohio is the 7th most populous state with an estimated 12 million residents. It consists of a diversity of geographies and cultures from larger and mid-size urban areas to vast stretches of rural land dotted by small towns, farmlands and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Low-income populations are served by health centers across the state, however urban sites are more racially diverse with greater black/African-American populations, growing Hispanic and Latino populations, and increasingly diverse ethnic populations from African nations and Eastern/Southeastern Asia among others. Several urban health centers also serve special populations such as homeless and public housing residents and two health centers in rural farming areas are funded to serve migrant and seasonal agricultural workers. Several health centers serve Ohio’s mostly rural Appalachian region, the 32 of the 88 counties that cover the eastern, southeastern and southern portions of the state. OACHC HCCN draws on the expertise of its dedicated staff and strategic partners to provide a range of training sessions, networking opportunities (both virtual and in-person), webinars, and other educational resources designed to support health centers in optimizing their health IT infrastructure. These initiatives are aimed at enhancing the delivery of affordable, accessible, and high-quality primary care, with a particular focus on: Data Management and Analytics, System Interoperability, Digital Health Tool Optimization, Uniform Data System Modernization (UDS+), Artificial Intelligence, and Value-Based Care. Throughout the project period, OACHC HCCN's top priorities will focus on: enhancing health centers' data management and analytical capabilities to drive improvements in clinical, financial, and operational outcomes; advancing system interoperability to optimize health outcomes and reduce administrative burden; implementing closed-loop referral management; optimizing digital health tools; improving data quality and readiness for UDS+ submissions; strengthening health center security infrastructure; supporting the integration of artificial intelligence to boost operational efficiencies; and enhancing health centers' capacity to leverage electronic health records or population health tools to support value-based care initiatives. Moreover, the OACHC HCCN plans to continue collaborative relationships with key partners such as the state Health Information Exchange, population health vendors, health IT vendors, OACHC’s (serves as the sole member) Health Centers of Ohio Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and Health Centers of Ohio Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) to support Ohio’s participating health centers in providing affordable, high-quality care to its community members.
