Bridging the Gap: EHR Solutions for Federal Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)

In the unique landscape of FQHC healthcare centers, technology plays a pivotal role in overcoming geographical and cultural barriers. However, implementing electronic health record (EHR) systems in these settings requires more than just technical solutions; it demands an understanding of the historical, cultural, and operational contexts that define these communities.

In this post, we’ll explore the challenges and opportunities in deploying EHR technology in FQHC healthcare settings, also sharing how our EMR consultants can provide tailored solutions to address these specific needs.

Challenges

There are four FQHC healthcare challenges we’ll focus on:

1. Smaller amount of resources
2. Limited internet access
3. Need for culturally competent healthcare IT
4. Historical mistrust of external interventions

#1: Smaller Amounts of Resources

In light of the scarcity of available workers in rural areas, human resources are also impacted. According to “Rural Report: Challenges Facing Rural Communities and the Roadmap to Ensure Local Access to High-quality, Affordable Care” by the American Hospital Association, more than 20 percent of Americans live in rural areas, yet less than 10 percent of physicians work in them. This report was written in 2019; so, when adding in the staffing challenges that healthcare systems of all sizes are facing, post-pandemic, staffing shortages may be even more significant.

The resource challenge also refers to difficulties in obtaining up-to-date equipment and software, which can be difficult to get with healthcare systems with smaller budgets and hard to manage and update with staff members who are already spread too thin. These shortages can create the need for assistance from experienced EMR consulting companies to fill in staffing gaps and creatively find solutions.

#2: Limited Internet Access

According to one U.S. government site, internet access is a “super determinant” of health, playing a role in outcomes. As of 2023, nineteen million people in the United States lack access to reliable high-speed internet, creating a digital divide.

Focusing on rural hospitals, according to HealthIT.gov, they’re less able to send, receive, find, and integrate data than other hospital types, which increases staff burdens. They’re also less likely to have cybersecurity experts on their team, adding to the challenges of protecting against and responding to data security breaches. This is another example of when EHR consulting companies can help in meaningful ways.

As far as governmental relief, Congress has introduced a bill, the “Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022,” that would require the Department of Health and Human Services to address how challenges affect rural and other small- and medium-sized organizations among other issues. This bill, however, has not yet been passed.

#3: Need for Culturally Competent Healthcare IT

The National Library of Medicine notes this need in a 2023 article titled “Cultural Competence in Caring for American Indians and Alaska Natives.” In it, they call for a prioritization of this goal: to “Identify the unique cultural and historical factors that influence the healthcare experiences and outcomes of American Indian/Alaska Native patients.”

The article states that cultural competence in healthcare is a foundational cornerstone that’s as crucial to health as any medical device or procedure that’s used to save lives. When this doesn’t sufficiently take place, communication can falter, increasing the risk of wrong diagnoses and lowering levels of trust. Ethnic minority patients have, in past studies, reported that they have limited rapport with medical professionals and don’t have enough involvement in their own healthcare decisions; not surprisingly, then, they report lower levels of satisfaction.

#4: Historical Mistrust of External Interventions

Another National Library of Medicine article details historical events that have contributed to a lack of trust in healthcare interventions in Native Americans. An NPR article, meanwhile, shares how about a quarter of Native Americans reported, in a survey, that they have experienced discrimination when seeking healthcare—which could further feelings of mistrust.

Opportunities

We’ll focus on four FQHC healthcare solutions:

1. Potential for Telehealth
2. Mobile health solutions
3. Community involvement and feedback
4. Paragon Denali

#1: Potential for Telehealth

In “Telehealth in Response to the Rural Health Disparity” published by the National Library of Medicine, telehealth is positioned as an emerging kind of nontraditional healthcare that can help to address challenges in rural areas. Challenges include distances needed to travel to receive healthcare, which is even longer with specialized care, and dissatisfaction with the timeframe available to discuss healthcare issues with the physician at appointments. With telehealth, travel time is eliminated from the equation while providing ease of access to physicians in a timely way. In a survey, 88 percent of respondents were either in favor of telehealth or open to considering it.

Satisfaction numbers reported are also high. In one specific tele-oncology program in Tennessee, 95 percent of patients who originally saw their oncologist in person and then used telehealth services reported that their audiovisual experience was as good or even better than when they saw the professional in person.

#2: Mobile Health Solutions

“Mobile Healthcare Services in Rural Areas” provides a deep analysis of the optimal methods for mobile health solutions in which doctors travel to remote locations that don’t have nearby healthcare facilities. The goal is to find the best ways to increase healthcare accessibility with the following results derived from the use of mathematical formulas: arriving at balanced visit frequencies allows the healthcare system to find optimal solutions in a faster amount of time.

In a pilot study in rural Minnesota, it took twelve months to set up a healthcare program that provided in-person primary care visits, telehealth consultations, and lab testing capabilities in four underserved rural communities. This involved choosing technology and equipment, designing the clinic, selecting the vehicles, creating a clinical schedule and associated workflows, and forming a staffing model. As of April 2022, the mobile health system had provided 1,498 appointments; as a side benefit, the community received newly established broadband internet services.

#3: Community Involvement and Feedback

Although this article was published in the National Library of Medicine, the focus is not on rural communities in the United States; it nevertheless has relevant applications to underserved rural locales in our country. In “Understanding Community Participation in Rural Health Care,” the authors conclude that community participation is crucial for success in healthcare outcomes. As stakeholders take ownership of the challenges associated with obtaining quality healthcare in rural locales, they can gather to discuss local issues, prioritize the challenges, and help to develop practical solutions. Then, as a long-term benefit, ties between people in the community and the healthcare workers who will serve them have already been established.

#4 Paragon Denali

This is a newly announced, cloud-based, integrated EHR system by Altera Digital Health with a specialty in operating in rural settings, critical access locations, and community hospitals. Paragon Denali is built on Microsoft Azure and designed as software-as-a-service (SaaS) to provide smaller hospitals with a single platform EHR system that allows them to handle clinical and financial information in ways that don’t place additional strain on their already-limited resources. Paragon Denali facilitates data interoperability to allow client hospitals to seamlessly engage with third-party solutions, including ones using artificial intelligence and robotic process automation, and smoothly meet regulatory requirements.

Because Paragon Denali is a SaaS, healthcare systems will experience minimal downtime and fewer patient care disruptions. Plus, it seamlessly integrates data from ambulatory and acute care settings, resulting in a comprehensive, single-source view of patient information.

This EHR has the potential to transform the capabilities of healthcare systems in FQHC communities. The application is expected to be generally available for implementation by the end of 2024, and our EHR consulting professionals will be ready when you are.

Choose HealthTech Resources’ Premier EMR Consultants

As healthcare leaders in FQHC settings look to navigate the complexities of EHR implementation, optimization, and usage, the journey ahead will be both challenging and rewarding.

Throughout this journey, HealthTECH Resources stands ready to partner with you, bringing over twenty-five years of healthcare IT expertise tailored to respect and enhance the delivery of culturally competent care. Our forward-thinking leadership and deep and wide network of EHR consultants will collaborate with and work alongside your leadership and in-house teams to create optimal solutions for your healthcare system and community.

Let’s explore how we can work together to bridge the technology gap in healthcare. Contact us online today to begin a conversation that could transform your organization’s approach to patient care. Or, you can call us at (602) 903-7961.