West Virginia Primary Care Association, Inc. 1700 MacCorkle Ave. SE Charleston, WV 25314 Project Director: Sherri Ferrell Voice: 304-346-0032 Fax: 304-346-0033 Email: sherri@wvpca.org Website: www.wvpca.org Health Center Controlled Network Cooperative Agreement Funds Requested: $875,000 Current HRSA Grant Number: H2QCS30254 The West Virginia Primary Care Association (WVPCA) proposes to continue operation of the West Virginia Primary Care Association Health Center Controlled Network (WVPCA HCCN), building on the foundation of six years of previous HRSA grant support. WVPCA HCCN includes twenty-six Health Center Program award recipients (H80s) and three Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alikes (LALs). Together, these twenty-nine health centers serve 380,000 patients (over 20% of West Virginia’s population) at over 320 delivery sites. Needs to be addressed: West Virginia health centers need training and technical assistance to support leveraging their electronic health record systems, their population health management system and digital health information technology tools to deliver high-quality, culturally competent, equitable and comprehensive primary care, focusing on clinical quality, patient-centered care and provider and staff well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic forced expedited adoption and use of telehealth, but it also significantly disrupted chronic care and preventive services in addition to interrupting implementation projects. COVID-19 pressures continue to take a heavy toll on health center workforce, especially clinical staff and teams. Health centers need help with adapting workflows for effective use of digital tools to benefit both health center staff and patients. Health centers also need training and technical assistance to prepare them for successful transition to value-based care delivery and payment. They need training and support to leverage their electronic health records systems, digital health tools and their
network population health management system to engage patients in their care, safeguard personal and clinical data, and collect and use social risk factor data to improve patient care. Health centers also need training and support to exchange data with external partners, govern their data appropriately, and learn how to analyze and interpret it for planning and patient care. Proposed services: The WVPCA HCCN proposes to provide training and technical assistance to twenty-seven participating health centers to support and achieve the goals of this funding opportunity. This will be conducted through formal trainings, peer learning groups, on-line resources, and direct technical assistance. The network will continue to on-board health centers to the Azara DRVS population health management system and work collaboratively with Azara to train and support users. WVPCA HCCN will also collaborate with National Training and Technical Assistance Partners such as HITEQ for support and services to the network and participating health centers. The network will access external specialized expertise in addition to staff resources to support the health centers as they continue to develop their overall data strategy and health information technology resources and use them to improve patient care. Population groups served: The health centers participating in the WVPCA HCCN provide comprehensive primary care to patients of all age groups in federally designated Medically Underserved Areas in West Virginia, where health resources are limited, and patients are poorer with a higher prevalence of chronic illness. In 2020, 84% of the patients served by the health centers had incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level. The patient population served includes Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured persons.