America’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) system has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve healthcare in underserved communities. Earlier this year, The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded more than six billion dollars from the American Rescue Plan to community health centers nationwide. This investment will help FQHCs test and vaccinate against COVID-19, offer much-needed preventative care for at-risk individuals, and expand operational capacity even after the pandemic ends.
While FQHCs sorely need these resources, some clinics are struggling to develop plans to maximize this funding. To make matters worse, staff shortages and persistent provider burnout mean FQHCs are working with fewer human resources than ever. Amidst these challenges, Scribe-X is investing in the expertise and technological solutions that will enable FQHCs to succeed in a post-COVID world.
2020 was the year when telehealth services broke into the healthcare mainstream. In the early days of the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services changed their reimbursement rules to cover telehealth visits as a means of reducing in-person contact and controlling the spread of COVID-19. This simple change accelerated telehealth adoption in the industry by years, and clinics are anxious to take advantage of this new efficiency tool. As a result, many FQHCs will use a portion of their new funding to expand IT infrastructure, especially in areas related to telehealth.
For years, Scribe-X has offered ScribeBridge®, our proprietary telehealth platform, as a value-added component of our medical scribe services. However, as our provider's needs evolved during the pandemic, we realized that ScribeBridge®, paired with our remote scribe services, was the perfect efficiency tool to help FQHCs meet this challenging moment. To help spread the word, we knew we needed the help of an expert in the telehealth space. Fortunately, Huzefa Dossaji had precisely the skills we needed.
Huzefa has always been interested in how medicine can improve care for the underserved. He has been working with FQHCs and primary care associations/health center controlled networks (PCA/HCCNs) to design and implement healthcare IT and value-based projects in telehealth, connected remote patient monitoring, and care management for over six years.
He was instrumental in working with the Louisiana Primary Care Association (LPCA) HCCN in initiating telehealth programs for their member FQHCs and a payer-funded RPM program for patients with uncontrolled diabetes in collaboration with the North Carolina Community Health Care Association (NCCHCA).
As he works with Scribe-X, Huzefa will be connecting us with FQHCs across the country and demonstrating how our medical scribe and telehealth solutions can improve revenue cycle challenges by easing provider burnout and closing charts on time — something many FQHCs could use help with.
As we emerge from the pandemic, FQHCs will play a critical role in caring for the underserved. With the help of team members like Huzefa, Scribe-X will be a valuable resource as health centers plan for the future. Not only does our medical scribe service support a shift towards value-based care through improved data recording, but our built-in telehealth platform also allows clinics to expand access to those who need care the most. Our sister company, Med-X Staffing Solutions, can also help FQHC face staffing shortages head-on, with customized hiring support and flexible employment terms.
If you have questions about how we can help your organization meet the future, we'd love to chat. You can reach out to Huzefa at (504) 400-7473 and say hello. Or you can contact Scribe-X at (503) 914-5857. Let's see what we can accomplish together.