Several policy issues decided on the federal level affect North Carolina Community Health Centers.
The primary one in 2019 is the renewal of community health center funding, which you can also read about on our funding cliff page.
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Telehealth
Congress should pass legislation to enable FQHCs to bill Medicare for
Mobile health visits
Remote patient monitoring
Distant site provider services in live video conferencing
Store and forward (electronic transmission of medical information)
340 B Program:
Health Centers reinvest savings from the 340B Program to
Provide access to low-cost medications for uninsured patients
Provide medication management services
Offer patient navigation services that connect patients to other community services
Integrate clinical pharmacists on the care team and primary care providers to manage chronic conditions
Support staff time to work on quality improvement initiatives
Conduct local community health education
Expand pharmacy services through innovative initiatives, such as a medication delivery service pilot
Teaching Health Centers & Graduate Medical Education
The THCGME program supports new and expanded primary care medical and dental residency programs in community-based ambulatory patient care settings. These primary care residency programs draw residents into economically disadvantaged communities to serve underserved and rural populations. 6 NC health centers are currently engaged in hosting residents and/or are involved in a THC-GME program
For medical students who graduated in 2016, 76% had medical school debt, with a median debt of $190,000, up 4% from the year previous.
Federal Workforce Funding
The National Health Service Corps is a loan forgiveness program that encourages recent medical school graduates to work in rural health locations.
North Carolina had 249 NHSC placements in 2018, 153 of which are at CHCs
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