OSIS is a non-profit technology services organization dedicated to providing expert NextGen Healthcare technology assistance exclusively to Community Health Centers (CHCs) around the country. Did you know that your health center could partner with OSIS for grants, collaborative agreements, or other funding opportunities whether you are an OSIS Member or not? Through the OSIS Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN), health centers can receive additional support at no-cost as a participating health center (PHC) for federally funded OSIS projects.
What is a Health Center Controlled Network?
According to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs) are uniquely positioned to help health centers improve quality of care and patient safety by using health information technology (HIT) to reduce costs and improve care coordination. HCCNs work with State and Regional Primary Care Associations (PCAs) and HRSA’s HIT National Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Partner Health Information Technology Evaluation and Quality Center (HITEQ), HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) exit disclaimer award recipients, and other National Training and Technical Assistance Partners (NTTAPs), to provide specialized T/TA to take advantage of economies of scale, including:
- Group purchasing power
- Shared training
- Data analytics to support quality measurement and improvement
Recent efforts have helped health centers adopt integrated care models and use HIT for patient engagement and can be instrumental to achieving value-based care.
In 2019, HRSA awarded $41,988,645 to 49 HCCNs for a three-year federal funding cycle to escalate the use of information technology among health centers in hopes of increasing value-based care. OSIS applied for this HRSA HCCN dedicated grant in FY 2019 and 27 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and Look-Alikes (LALs) joined the funding stream as participating health centers (PHCs) outside of any existing contract with OSIS they might have had for HIT services.
The stated purposes of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 HCCN grant are:
- Enhance the patient and provider experience
- Advance Interoperability
- Use data to enhance value
As an HCCN, OSIS can support the additional network of PHCs with targeted activities, projects, and tools that can advance the use of health technology to achieve grant related goals.
.png?width=413&name=Grant%20Stats%20(4).png)
How does OSIS achieve the HRSA stated purpose goals? We are experts in:
- Offering Experienced and Passionate Clinical and Technical Teams
- On-Site or Virtual Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA)
- Aligning Support with the HRSA Strategic Plan
- Focusing on a Single Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT) Platform
- Providing Health Centers with Optimization Tool
Watch this video to learn more about the OSIS HRSA HCCN 2019-2021 grant impact.
Results Worth Sharing
Since 2019, through one-on-one customized technical assistance, OSIS has helped PHCs leverage, utilize, or develop solutions to improve workflows and increase efficiency of NextGen Electronic Health Record (EHR) Utilization within these specific categories.
.png?width=344&name=osis-hccn-2019-successes%20(1).png)
We are now in the third and final year of the 2019 HCCN funding cycle, which ends in July 2022. What is next? The OSIS HCCN team is working with PHCs to close out projects and outstanding T/TA for the current award. As we conclude the current award cycle, we are preparing for the next HRSA-funded HCCN collaborative agreement that will start on August 1, 2022. We will be submitting the application for this next funding cycle in January of 2022 and are currently recruiting current and new FQHCs and LALs to join the OSIS HCCN Collective.
The purpose of this new funding is for HCCNs to support health centers in leveraging health information technology (IT) and data to deliver high-quality, culturally competent, equitable, and comprehensive primary health care, with a specific focus on improvements in:
- Clinical Quality
- Patient-centered care
- Provider and staff well-being
The OSIS HCCN team held an informative session with the current FY 2019 Grant team to learn about the new HRSA funding cycle for Health Center Controlled Networks for FY 2022. We reviewed the goals and objectives defined by HRSA for HCCNs to support community health center operations. From this session, we have compiled some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to review if your health center is considering joining the OSIS HCCN Collective or another HCCN.
Q: Are there any fees to participate?
A: There are no fees to join as a PHC. All services provided through this HRSA federally funded collaborative agreement are offered at no cost to PHCs.
Q: Do you have to be an OSIS Member to join?
A: No, OSIS membership is not required to participate in this opportunity.
Q: Do PHCs receive funding from the HRSA Collaborative Agreement?
A: HRSA prohibits awarded HCCNs from providing direct funding to PHCs. The funds are intended to offer services to PHCs via the HCCN.
Q: What would we lose by leaving our current HCCN?
A: OSIS encourages each organization to review what is being offered, along with level of support. We focus on a single CEHRT platform which allows our activities and development to be focused on NextGen. We have a dedicated team that is assigned to this project to ensure open and transparent communication.
Q: Can I sign more than one agreement to participate with an HCCN?
A: No, HRSA states that PHCs can only participate in one funding opportunity for this award.
Q: Can any non-profit join?
A: HRSA states that only organizations who are FQHCs or designated Look-Alikes can participate in this funding opportunity.
Looking Ahead to 2022
As we wrap up this final year in the 2019-2022 HCCN funding cycle, OSIS thanks all the current PHCs for partnering with the OSIS HCCN team. For the next funding cycle, we look forward to helping PHCs unite and engage in activities that promote individualized work plans and peer collaboration with other PHCs. Through shared feedback, lessons learned, successes and barriers, OSIS remains dedicated to helping PHCs accomplish HRSA defined objectives and goals to improve patient outcomes. To find out how your health center can use electronic health records (EHRs) more efficiently, improve Health Information Exchange (HIE) and patient outcomes while uniting with like-minded health centers, contact us today.
Resources: