HRSA Funded HCCN Projects

HRSA-22-009 Health Center Controlled Networks (Project period:  August 1, 2022 – July 31, 2025)

The purpose of this funding is for HCCNs to support health centers in leveraging health information technology (IT) and data to deliver high-quality, culturally competent, equitable, and comprehensive primary health care, with a specific focus on improvements in:

• Clinical quality,
• Patient-centered care, and
• Provider and staff well-being.

HCCN Project Team

HRSA-19-011 Health Center Controlled Networks (Project period:  August 1, 2019 – July 31, 2022)

The purpose of this grant is to leverage health IT to increase participation in value-based care by supporting participating health centers to 1) enhance the patient and provider experience; 2) advance interoperability; and 3) use data to enhance value. All organizations receiving funding from this grant are expected to meet the following program requirements:

• Enhance the Patient and Provider Experience: Increase the use of health IT to facilitate patients’ access to their personal health information; improve patient engagement with their health care team; and minimize provider burden.
• Advance Interoperability: Complete annual security risk analyses and have a breach mitigation and response plan in place. Leverage HIE to meet national standards as specified in the ONC Interoperability Standards Advisory and share information securely with other key providers and health systems. Consolidate clinical data with data from multiple clinical and non-clinical sources across the health care continuum to optimize care coordination and workflows.
• Use Data to Enhance Value: Improve capacity for data standardization, management, and analysis to support value-based care activities. Increase the use of both aggregate and patient-level data on social risk factors to support coordinated, effective interventions. Increase the provision of behavioral health services through non-traditional settings.

HRSA-16-010 Health Center Controlled Networks (Project period:  August 1, 2016 – July 31, 2019)

The goals for this grant are to support health centers in 1) achieving meaningful use of ONC-certified electronic health records (EHRs); 2) adopting technology-enabled quality improvement strategies; and 3) engaging in health information exchange (HIE) to strengthen the quality of care and improve patient health outcomes. All organizations receiving funding from this grant are expected to meet the following program requirements:

• Health IT Implementation and Meaningful Use: Increase the use of health IT to improve the quality of care in health centers and improve individual and population health. Promote effective use of health IT solutions at all health center sites and attainment of Meaningful Use requirements.
• Data Quality and Reporting: Improve data collection, analysis, and reporting. Enhance comprehensive, integrated, high-quality data reporting at all Participating Health Centers.
• Health Information Exchange (HIE) and Population Health Management: Increase secure electronic data exchange with patients, unaffiliated providers, and organizations to support patient centered health care delivery and support population health management.
• Quality Improvement: Advance clinical and operational quality improvements. Improve clinical and financial quality measures and advance PCMH implementation.

HRSA-13-237 Affordable Care Act, Health Center Controlled Networks (Project period:  December 1, 2012 – July 31, 2016*)

The goals for this grant were to 1) advance the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (HIT); and 2) support quality improvement (QI) in participating health centers. All organizations receiving funding from this grant were expected to meet the following program requirements:

• Adoption and Implementation: Assist participating health centers with effectively adopting and implementing certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology at all sites by the end of the project period.
• Meaningful Use: Support participating health centers in making the necessary technical upgrades and workflow changes to meet meaningful use requirements and access incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records Incentive Programs.
• Quality Improvement: Advance participating health centers’ QI initiatives to improve clinical and operational quality, reduce health disparities, improve population health through HIT, and achieve Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition.

*The original project period for HRSA-13-237 was December 1, 2012 – November 30, 2015. In July 2015, HRSA granted an 8-month extension to the project which changed the project period.

Health Center Connections is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $5,132,484 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsements by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.