Understanding Community Health Centers

Low-income Americans are limited in their healthcare choices. Many providers won’t see uninsured patients unless they pay in advance, and some don’t accept Medicaid patients either.

That’s why community health centers (CHCs) are important. CHCs provide high quality preventive and primary healthcare to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Approximately one in 11 people in the U.S. relies on a community health center for medical care.

Since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), the healthcare reform law, passed in 2010, CHCs have become even more significant to the nation’s healthcare system. CHCs today serve nearly 30 million patients in the U.S. and provide 114 million patient visits annually.

CHCs are also an important market for medical products. CHCs perform a wide variety of services – from check-ups to lab work to dental care –which require a variety of equipment, supplies, and services.

This course has been developed to provide sales representatives with a basic understanding of the community health center market. After completing this course, you will learn:

• The importance of health centers in patient care
• Their reimbursement structure and funding sources
• The determining factors of their decision-making
• Your role as a sales representative in effectively serving your CHC customers