Hospital-affiliated CHCs report fewer problems obtaining specialty care

Source: Commonwealth Fund

Community health centers that are closely affiliated with hospitals have fewer difficulties getting their patients appointments for specialty procedures like x-rays, diagnostic tests, and visits with specialist physicians, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey of community health centers released today. Centers without hospital affiliations reported they had more difficulty getting off-site specialty appointments regardless of a patient’s insurance status—pointing to the need for incentives that will promote connections between health centers and specialty care providers.

The report, Enhancing the Capacity of Community Health Centers to Achieve High Performance, is a comprehensive national survey of nearly 800 Federally Qualified Health Centers across the country. It examines centers’ capacity to provide high quality health care and function as patient-centered medical homes. See full report here.