Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) specialists.

theFranaGroup can meet your needs both before and after funding, with a wide array of services tailored to Community Health Center operations and strategy. If you are serving a low income population or are an existing grantee, we can help you become one of the FQHCs on the growing list of our successful clients.

Clinics serving low income and uninsured patients are turning to the longest, continuous source of operating funds from the federal government: the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). For the last eight years, the Community Health Center program has been expanding at a rate which has almost doubled its size. The key to success is having Federally Qualified Health Center status; either as a Section 330 grantee or through obtaining Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike status from BPHC. Hospitals can also benefit from FQHC partnerships by creating ER Diversion Clinics with existing FQHCs.

Community Health Centers are recognized by Congress as being the Safety Net Clinic system in America. Over 1150 organizations receive $2.1 billion annually in federal grant funds to subsidize primary health care for low income and uninsured patients. Congress recently reauthorized the Community Health Center program and increased the authorization ceiling to $3.3 billion annually through 2012. Seventeen million patients received care in calendar 2007 at almost 4,000 clinical sites operated by FQHCs.

Since 1999, theFranaGroup has helped clients across the nation bring in more than $90 million in direct federal grant dollars to support their clinics. These FQHCs have received more than $90 million in enhanced Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, for a total of over $180 million in support to take care of low income and uninsured patients in their communities. There are two ways to obtain FQHC status: either as a Section 330 grantee or as a Look-Alike clinic. theFranaGroup can assist your organization with either.

Section 330 grantee: BPHC holds grant competitions from time to time for the funding of new FQHC clinics. theFranaGroup has had seventeen successful applications for these funding in the last nine years. Competition for these funds is strong and our experience and knowledge can make the difference in your application being successfully funded.

Look-Alike clinics: BPHC conducts year around administrative review of clinics wanting Look-Alike status, enabling them to achieve FQHC status. theFranaGroup can help your organization submit a successful Look-Alike application. theFranaGroup has never had a Look-Alike application denied.

ER Diversion Clinics: theFranaGroup can assist your hospital in creating a diversion clinic in partnership with a local FQHC by providing the expertise and coordination necessary to create a win-win solution.