In order to support the provision of high quality patient care, HRSA-funded health centers are expected to have ongoing quality improvement/assessment programs that include clinical services and quality management. To this end, the Health Center Program incorporates systems of quality assessment, quality improvement, and quality management that focus provider responsibilities on improving care processes and outcomes.

In concert with performance improvement initiatives within the broader health care community, the Health Center Program incorporates quality-related performance measures that place emphasis on health outcomes and demonstrate the value of care delivered by health centers. These performance measures are selected to provide a balanced and comprehensive representation of health center services, clinically prevalent conditions among underserved communities, and the population across life cycles. Their use is familiar to the majority of health center grantees that have extensive experience working to improve the quality of perinatal, chronic, and preventative care services. Further, the performance measures are aligned with those of national standard setting organizations, and are commonly used by Medicare, Medicaid, and health insurance/managed care organizations to assess quality performance.

MHC actively evaluates and regularly audits the following clinical indicators in coordination with its regulatory agencies:

• Outreach / Quality of care:
  • Percentage of pregnant women beginning prenatal care in the first trimester
  • Percentage of children with 2nd birthday during the measurement year with appropriate immunizations
  • Percentage of women 21-64 years of age who received one or more tests to screen for cervical cancer.

• Health Outcomes / Disparities
  • Percentage diabetic patients whose HbA1c levels are less than or equal to 9 percent
  • Percentage of adult patients with diagnosed hypertension whose most recent blood pressure was less than 140/90
  • Percentage of births less than 2,500 grams to health center patients

Joint Commission

Mission: To continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.

Vision: All people always experience the safest, highest quality, best-value health care across all settings.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,300 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,500 other health care organizations that provide long-term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. To earn and maintain The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval™, an organization must undergo an on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years.

The Joint Commission would like to thank the MHC organization for participating in the accreditation process. This process is designed to help our organizations continuously provide safe, high-quality care, treatment, and services by identifying opportunities for improvement in our processes and helping the organization follow through on and implementing those improvements. MHC has earned the gold seal of approval for accreditation effective January 30, 2010.