A new article, “Factors associated with federally qualified health center financial performance,” published in Health Services Research and co-authored by Capital Link staff members, features the findings from a study on the correlates of health center financial health. The study, which was supported by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), provides new insight on the impact of the Affordable Care Act and a baseline for the impacts of COVID-19.
Utilizing 2012-2017 HRSA Uniform Data System (UDS) information and financial audit data from Capital Link’s proprietary database, the study examined six financial measures over four domains. Results show that FQHC financial performance generally improved over the study period, especially between 2015 and 2017. The improvement can be attributed to provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which included significant Medicaid expansion and direct funding support for health centers. Improvement in FQHC financial health was also associated with key characteristics in operations and staffing.