Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) already have shown some of the results pursued by the Affordable Care Act, according to a study released this week by the California Primary Care Association. The CPCA commissioned researchers to compare high-cost factors, such as hospital stays and emergency department use, as well as total cost of care, between FQHCs and non-FQHCs in California. Some of the findings from the study showed that FQHC’s had roughly 5% lower 30-day hospital readmission rates, 25% fewer hospital inpatient bed days, and the rate of multi-day admissions was significantly lower, about 64% lower than non-FQHCs. Studies have been done across the country with similar results, confirming what’s been said for years, that providing all the care in one place [as FQHCs do] helps drive down overall costs of care to the system according to a recent report at California Healthline.
