Texas Association of Community Health Centers

The purpose of the Association is accomplished by providing member Centers training and technical assistance in these areas: quality improvement/risk management, credentialing licensed providers, legal assistance, grant writing and funding information, personnel issues, osha requirements, group purchasing initiatives, capital financing, education and governmental relations, managed care, information dissemination and policy and legislative analysis. Specifically, the Association conducts these programs: outreach and enrollment - is designed to increase the number of people who have access to a regular source of comprehensive, Community based preventive and primary care as well as to increase the number of people enrolled in medicaid, state children's Health insurance program (chip), medicare, and in qualified Health plans (qhps) and under the affordable care act (aca). Quality axis, formerly optimizing comprehensive clinical care - improvess the Health status of underserved people with chronic diseases and established capacity and infrastructure to develop, promote and disseminate positive breakthrough changes in the primary care delivery systems services to underserved populations with chronic diseases. This program integrates the concepts necessary for Community Health Centers to achieve patient centered medical home (pcmh) and meaningful use requirements that allow Centers to benefit from Centers for medicare and medicaid services' (cms) incentive payments. Prepare them for alternative payment methodologies including value-based reimbursement. Community development - is designed to increase the number of communities across the state that are in the process of moving towards development of the infrastructure necessary to support a Community Health center. In addition, training and technical assistance is provided to Community Health cetners through-out the state, regardless of their tachc membership status, in the areas of board/governance requirements and financial sustainability to ensure that all Centers are well positioned to continue to provide care to the underserved in their communities. Purchasing groups - administer joint initiatives for all member Centers in the areas of pharmacy, lab, medical supplies, Health insurance, dental supplies, and Health promotion materials. Health center controlled network (hccn) - provides dashboard-type clinical measures reporting. The near real-time information gleaned from the hccn reporting modules is intended for use at the Health center level to augment quality improvement activities. Recruitment and retention - assists member Centers in the recruitment of licensed providers through advertisements, marketing Community Health Centers at medical schools, residency programs, professional conferences and meetings; offers training in credentialing for all licensed Health care professionals; and monitors needs and trends in order to retain qualified providers in medically underserved areas.