Examining Barriers to Collaborations Between Community Health Centers and Other Providers
<p>Community health centers provide primary care services to about 20 million mostly uninsured individuals, and they’re expected to provide care to millions more as the Affordable Care Act expands health insurance coverage for those with low incomes. Collaborations that clinically integrate community health centers with hospitals, providers, or public health agencies improve patient services and are encouraged by the health reform law.</p>
<p>In a new <a href="/publications/fund-reports/2011/jul/assessing-and-addressing-legal-barriers-clinical-integration">Commonwealth Fund report</a>, Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., of the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, and colleagues explain how the complex laws and policies governing collaborations between health centers and their partners may impede such partnerships. The report also profiles health centers that have worked within the law to develop partnerships that benefit patients, while still adhering to the health centers' core mission—ensuring that all patients have access to health care, regardless of insurance coverage. </p>
<p>Visit <a href="/">commonwealthfund.org</a> to read the full report. <br /></p>