Community Health Center Association of CT Partners with UConn Health to Study Impact of Telehealth During Covid‐19 Pandemic
Partnership will perform a robust analysis on clinical, operational, and financial data; patient impact key among objectives
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CHESHIRE—Monday, February 8, 2021—The Community Health Center Association of Connecticut (CHCACT) is pleased to announce a joint project with UConn Health to determine the impact telehealth visits have had on patients of federally qualified community health centers (FQHCs) in Connecticut since the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic in March 2020.
CHCACT supports Connecticut FQHCs that collectively serve over 400,000 patients per year, of which approximately 16.5% are uninsured, 60.5% have Husky/Medicaid insurance, and 91.7% fall below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).1
After a competitive RFP process, CHCACT selected UConn Health to perform a robust analysis of the clinical, operational, and financial data to establish the impact telehealth has had on FQHC patients, health center operations, and clinical performance. Data collection and analysis will include survey feedback from patients and providers.
UConn Health is an academic medical center with a three‐pronged mission to support academics, research, and clinical care. For this analysis UConn brings together a collaborative team with expertise in health and human services, health information technology, health disparities, data, and analytics from UConn Health Center for Quantitative Medicine, Health Disparities Institute, and UConn Analytics & Information Management Solutions. Thomas Agresta M.D., MBI a Professor in Family Medicine will lead the UConn team and has experience in both the design and delivery of telehealth as well as evaluation of its pros and cons. He offered that while we have learned much about how to rapidly roll out telehealth widely due to the pandemic, we have a long‐way to go to be sure that all patients have equal access to this important service.
CHCACT’s Chief Operating Officer, Robert Rioux, shared, “The temporary reimbursement for telehealth services, as a result of the Governor’s actions during the early days of the Covid‐19 Pandemic, has allowed community health centers to continue to provide care to Connecticut’s most vulnerable patients. Telehealth has also increased access—patients who have historically had to take a day off from work to see a provider or missed appointments due to transportation issues are now receiving regular care because the care is more accessible. We are excited to see what UConn Health uncovers during the data analysis phase. We are hopeful it will reflect the positive experiences patients and providers have shared over the last 9 months and will lead to system changes that benefit patients, community health centers, and payors in CT.”
1. Uniform Data System (UDS), 2019.
About UConn Health
UConn Health is Connecticut’s only public academic medical center. Based on a 206‐acre campus in Farmington, UConn Health has a three‐part mission: research, teaching and patient care. Home to the UConn School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine and UConn John Dempsey Hospital with nearly 5,000 employees supporting nearly 1,000 students, over 800,000 annual patient visits, and innovative scientific research contributing to the advancement of medicine. For more information, visit health.uconn.edu.
About CHCACT
Incorporated in 1989, the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut (CHCACT) is a not‐for‐profit organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting the clinical and administrative operations of community health centers across Connecticut. CHCACT’s mission is to advance and align the work of health centers, with stakeholders, to improve the health and wellness of all.
About this project’s funding
This program 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 $75,000 with 0% financed with non‐governmental sources. The conclusions of this study are those of its authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
Contact
Dan Tapper
Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations, Inc.
860‐573‐4236 (Mobile)