Federally Qualified Health Center

A Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) is a community-based health care organization that provides comprehensive primary care and support services to underserved populations in the United States. These centers serve patients regardless of immigration status, insurance coverage, or ability to pay. FQHCs are a key component of the nation's primary care safety net and aim to reduce barriers to health care access for low/moderate-income and minority populations. The majority of FQHCs are local health centers operated by non-profits, but public agencies, such as municipal governments, also operate clinics, accounting for 7% of all FQHCS. Consumer governance is a defining feature of FQHCs, mandating that at least 51% of governing board members must be patients of the center.

Defined by Medicare and Medicaid statutes, FQHCs include organizations i) receiving grants under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), ii) clinics meeting certification requirements (known as FQHC "Look-Alikes"), and iii) outpatient facilities operated by tribal or urban Indian organizations. FQHC services, as outlined by Medicare, include rural health clinic services (such as physician services, those provided by physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, visiting nurses, clinical psychologists, social workers, and related services and supplies), diabetes self-management training, medical nutrition therapy, and preventive primary health services mandated under Section 330 of the PHSA.