Data Dive: Federally Qualified Health Centers
This month’s Data Dive will look at data about Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). FQHCs are “federally funded nonprofit health centers or clinics that serve medically underserved areas and populations”1 making them important community assets. Because FQHCs are federally funded, there are many requirements they must meet to maintain funding. This makes reliable data an essential component of their continued operation. Further, data on FQHCs help changemakers identify resources available to and services received by medically underserved community members.
To learn more about Federally Qualified Health Centers in your community, this blog will answer the following questions:
What data are described here?
What do these data tell me?
How can I interpret these data?
Where can I access this data?
Where can I find more information?
Let’s dive in!
What data are described here?
In this blog, we’re focusing on FQHC data provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources & Services Administration, 2023. Recently, the SparkMap team integrated six new indicators related to FQHCs into our Community Needs Assessment that all SparkMap Subscribers can access for free. These data include FQHC:
- Area Served
- Maternal and Child Health
- Medical Conditions
- Patient Profile
- Patient Services Profile
- Preventative Services
What do these data tell me?
Each of these indicators provide different information relating to FQHCs in your community. Below, we provide a brief overview of what you can expect to find.
- Area Served: Provides information on FQHC providers, number of services delivered, and counties served.
- Maternal and Child Health: Provides an overview of the prenatal and perinatal services provided to prenatal care patients, plus variables like early entry into prenatal care and low or very low birth weight (Figure 1).
- Medical Conditions: Provides an overview of the prevalence of medical conditions including diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and HIV in patients.
- Patient Profile: Provides a demographic profile of patients of FQHCs in the selected community.
- Patient Services Profile: Provides an overview of patient services (e.g., medical, dental, mental health) provided.
- Preventative Services: Provides an overview of preventative service utilization (e.g., cancer screenings, childhood immunization status, weight screening, and tobacco use screening) among patients (Figure 2).
How can I interpret these data?
Each of these indicators are interpreted slightly differently, as they report different information. However, in general you will find the percentage of patients or services provided for the indicator you selected. For example, if you were to look at the Patient Profile indicator, you would see the percentage of patients in different age groups, that report different ethnicities, and that have different types of insurance (Figure 3). No matter which indicators you select, you will see explainer text to aid with interpretation plus several data visuals to help illustrate the information most effectively.
Where can I access these data?
You can access all FQHC indicators discussed in this blog with the Community Needs Assessment tool. Once you have selected your location of interest, you can find these indicators in the “Clinical Care and Prevention” section of the Community Needs Assessment indicators.
