Evaluation of asthma medication adherence rates and strategies to improve adherence in the underserved population at a Federally Qualified Health Center

BACKGROUND

Adherence with asthma medications is less than optimal, measuring approximately 30-50%. Several factors have been shown to contribute to medication non-adherence including low-socioeconomic status, low literacy, medication cost, access to care, and language barriers. Community Health Clinic Ole has attempted to reduce medication adherence barriers associated with cost, access to care, and language by 1) allowing medications to be obtained from the clinic at a reduced cost via the 340B drug pricing program and patient assistance programs, and 2) providing one-on-one consultations from bilingual Spanish-speaking clinicians. Limited evidence is available regarding chronic disease-state medication adherence among Spanish-speaking individuals presenting to a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to assess asthma medication adherence and determine predictors of non-adherence in the underserved population at an FQHC.

METHODS

Adult patients with a diagnosis of persistent asthma receiving medication refills from clinic between October 1, 2011 and October 31, 2012 were identified (N = 121). Individuals with intermittent or seasonal asthma only, exercise-induced asthma only, or mixed asthma/COPD; individuals who have not picked up at least one fill of inhaled corticosteroid in the past one-year; and individuals without active prescriptions for asthma controller medications were excluded. Medication adherence was assessed by using the medication possession ratio (MPR) for asthma controller medications (e.g. inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta-2 agonists, leukotriene modifiers, and theophylline). Patients were categorized into two adherence groups: medium-high (MPR ≥ 0.5) and low (MPR < 0.5).

RESULTS

Approximately one-third of individuals were identified with medium-high adherence to asthma medications, of which only 8.3% of individuals were found to be fully adherent (MPR ≥ 0.8). The majority of individuals (66.1%) were identified with low adherence, despite efforts to reduce medication adherence barriers associated with drug cost, access to care, and language. Patients with low adherence were younger (39.3 vs. 45.4 yo; P < 0.012), had fewer medication refills (2.1 vs. 5.3; P < 0.001), had fewer primary care provider (PCP) visits (3.4 vs. 5.0; P < 0.05), lower baseline Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores (13.1 vs. 17.3; P < 0.001), and lower asthma medication ratios (AMR) (0.7 vs. 0.9; P < 0.001) than patients with medium-high adherence. No significant differences in MPR rates were found between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. The average MPR in both groups was 0.55.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate that asthma medication adherence remains poor among all underserved patients despite improved access to care via reduced medication pricing and the provision of Spanish-speaking medication consultations at refill pick-ups. Poor adherence rates remained common among both the Non-Hispanic and Hispanic, younger, and lower-socioeconomic patients in our study. Future studies may wish to explore whether providing a service that encompasses healthcare team support, optimal medication counseling, and utilization of patient-centered communication strategies improves asthma medication adherence in the Hispanic population.

Improving Pain Care with Project ECHO in Community Health Centers

OBJECTIVE

Pain is an extremely common complaint in primary care, and patient outcomes are often suboptimal. This project evaluated the impact of Project ECHO Pain videoconference case-based learning sessions on knowledge and quality of pain care in two Federally Qualified Health Centers.

DESIGN

Quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention, with comparison group.

SETTING

Two large, multisite federally qualified health centers in Connecticut and Arizona.

SUBJECTS

Intervention (N = 10) and comparison (N = 10) primary care providers.

METHODS

Primary care providers attended 48 weekly Project ECHO Pain sessions between January and December 2013, led by a multidisciplinary pain specialty team. Surveys and focus groups assessed providers' pain-related knowledge and self-efficacy. Electronic health record data were analyzed to evaluate opioid prescribing and specialty referrals.

RESULTS

Compared with control, primary care providers in the intervention had a significantly greater increase in pain-related knowledge and self-efficacy. Providers who attended ECHO were more likely to use formal assessment tools and opioid agreements and refer to behavioral health and physical therapy compared with control providers. Opioid prescribing decreased significantly more among providers in the intervention compared with those in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Pain is an extremely common and challenging problem, particularly among vulnerable patients such as those cared for at the more than 1,200 Federally Qualified Health Centers in the United States. In this study, attendance at weekly Project ECHO Pain sessions not only improved knowledge and self-efficacy, but also altered prescribing and referral patterns, suggesting that knowledge acquired during ECHO sessions translated into practice changes.

Diagnostic colonoscopy completion after abnormal fecal immunochemical testing and quality of tests used at 8 Federally Qualified Health Centers in Southern California: Opportunities for improving screening outcomes

BACKGROUND

The effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening with fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) of stool blood depends on high rates of colonoscopy follow-up for abnormal FITs and the use of high-quality tests. This study characterized colonoscopy referral and completion among patients with abnormal FITs and the types of FITs implemented in a sample of Southern California Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

METHODS

FQHCs in San Diego, Imperial, and Los Angeles Counties were invited to define a cohort of ≥150 consecutive patients with abnormal FITs in 2015-2016 and to provide data on sex, insurance status, diagnostic colonoscopy referrals and completion within 6 months of abnormal FITs, and the types (brands) of FITs implemented. The primary outcomes were the proportions with colonoscopy referrals and completion for all patients at each FQHC and in aggregate.

RESULTS

Eight FQHCs provided data for 1229 patients with abnormal FITs; 46% were male, and 20% were uninsured. Among patients with abnormal FITs, 89% (1091 of 1229; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87-0.91) had a colonoscopy referral, and 44% (539 of 1229; 95% CI, 0.41-0.47) had colonoscopy completion. Across FQHCs, the range for colonoscopy referral was 73% to 96%, and the range for completion was 18% to 57%. Six of the 8 FQHCs (75%) reported FIT brands with limited data to support their effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

In a sample of Southern California FQHCs, diagnostic colonoscopy completion after abnormal FITs was substantially below the nationally recommended benchmark to achieve 80% completion, and the use of FIT brands with limited data to support their effectiveness was high. These findings suggest a need for policies and multilevel interventions to promote diagnostic colonoscopy among individuals with abnormal FITs and the use of higher quality FITs.

Implementation successes and challenges in participating in a pragmatic study to improve colon cancer screening: perspectives of health center leaders

Little is known about the challenges faced by community clinics who must address clinical priorities first when participating in pragmatic studies. We report on implementation challenges faced by the eight community health centers that participated in Strategies and Opportunities to STOP Colon Cancer in Priority Populations (STOP CRC), a large comparative effectiveness cluster-randomized trial to evaluate a direct-mail program to increase the rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. We conducted interviews, at the onset of implementation and 1 year later, with center leaders to identify challenges with implementing and sustaining an electronic medical record (EMR)-driven mailed program to increase CRC screening rates. We used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to thematically analyze the content of meeting discussions and identify anticipated and experienced challenges. Common early concerns were patients' access to colonoscopy, patients' low awareness of CRC screening, time burden on clinic staff to carry out the STOP CRC program, inability to accurately identify eligible patients, and incompatibility of the program's approach with the patient population or organizational culture. Once the program was rolled out, time burden remained a primary concern and new organizational capacity and EMR issues were raised (e.g., EMR staffing resources and turnover in key leadership positions). Cited program successes were improved CRC screening processes and rates, more patients reached, reduced costs, and improved patient awareness, engagement, or satisfaction. These findings may inform any clinic considering mailed fecal testing programs and future pragmatic research efforts in community health centers.

Evaluating the Impact of Year-Long, Augmented Diabetes Self-Management Support

This was a randomized controlled study to test a scalable intervention model addressing the need for ongoing diabetes support. The study included individuals receiving care in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with HbA1c >8. The aim of this project was to determine whether augmenting diabetes self-management education (DSME) with support for an economically vulnerable population might better meet patient needs and reduce morbidity and premature mortality. The intervention utilized pre and post comparisons and was designed to test the efficacy of a telephonic diabetes support intervention to increase patient engagement in self-care and with the health care system as a means to improve clinical outcomes. There were significant improvements in HbA1c, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and depression screening scores in the year following DSME. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups. This randomized controlled study demonstrated that comprehensive face-to-face care with consistent assessment and documentation over time in FQHCs produce clinically significant and predictable improvement for people with diabetes. The addition of structured provision of telephonic support overlapping in time with the comprehensive face-to-face process of care in this environment did not produce statistically significant clinical or behavioral care improvement.

Developing a Process for Returning Medically Actionable Genomic Variants to Latino Patients in a Federally Qualified Health Center

AIM

To develop a process for returning medically actionable genomic variants to Latino patients receiving care in a Federally Qualified Health Center.

METHODS

Prior to recruitment, researchers met with primary care providers to (1) orient clinicians to the project, (2) establish a process for returning actionable and nonactionable results to participants and providers through the electronic health record, and (3) develop a process for offering clinical decision support for follow-up education and care. A Community Advisory Board was engaged to provide input on recruitment strategies and materials for conveying results to participants. Participants in the Sangre Por Salud (Blood for Health) Biobank with hyperlipidemia or colon polyps represented the pool of potentially eligible participants.

RESULTS

A total of 1,621 individuals were invited to participate and 710 agreed to an in- person consenting visit (194 no-showed and 16 declined). Over 12-months, 500 participants were enrolled. Participants were primarily Spanish-speaking (81.6%), female (74.2%), and enrolled because of hyperlipidemia (95.4%). All but 2 participants opted to receive primary (i.e., related to enrollment phenotypes) as well as secondary actionable results.

CONCLUSION

Efforts to bring precision medicine to community-based health centers serving minority patients may require multilevel engagement activities to include individuals, providers, health systems, and the community.

Identifying actionable strategies: using Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)-informed interviews to evaluate the implementation of a multilevel intervention to improve colorectal cancer screening

BACKGROUND

Many evidence-based interventions (EBIs) found to be effective in research studies often fail to translate into meaningful patient outcomes in practice. The purpose of this study was to identify facilitators and barriers that affect the implementation of three EBIs to improve colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in an urban federally qualified health center (FQHC) and offer actionable recommendations to improve future implementation efforts.

METHODS

We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews guided by the Consolidation Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to describe diverse stakeholders' implementation experience. The interviews were conducted in the participant's clinic, audio-taped, and professionally transcribed for analysis.

RESULTS

We used the five CFIR domains and 39 constructs and subconstructs as a coding template to conduct a template analysis. Based on experiences with the implementation of three EBIs, stakeholders described barriers and facilitators related to the intervention characteristics, outer setting, and inner setting. Implementation barriers included (1) perceived burden and provider fatigue with EHR (Electronic Health Record) provider reminders, (2) unreliable and ineffectual EHR provider reminders, (3) challenges to providing health care services to diverse patient populations, (4) lack of awareness about CRC screening among patients, (5) absence of CRC screening goals, (6) poor communication on goals and performance, and (7) absence of printed materials for frontline implementers to educate patients. Implementation facilitators included (1) quarterly provider assessment and feedback reports provided real-time data to motivate change, (2) integration with workflow processes, (3) pressure from funding requirement to report quality measures, (4) peer pressure to achieve high performance, and (5) a culture of teamwork and patient-centered mentality.

CONCLUSIONS

The CFIR can be used to conduct a post-implementation formative evaluation to identify barriers and facilitators that influenced the implementation. Furthermore, the CFIR can provide a template to organize research data and synthesize findings. With its clear terminology and meta-theoretical framework, the CFIR has the potential to promote knowledge-building for implementation. By identifying the contextual determinants, we can then determine implementation strategies to facilitate adoption and move EBIs to daily practice.

The Explanatory Role of Insomnia in the Relationship between Pain Intensity and Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Severity among Trauma-Exposed Latinos in a Federally Qualified Health Center

Latinos, one of the fastest growing populations in the United States, suffer from high rates of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) and its clinical correlates (e.g., disability). Although research suggests the experience of pain is closely related to PTS among trauma-exposed groups, there has been little exploration of the processes that may link pain intensity to greater PTS among trauma-exposed Latinos. The current study explored insomnia, a common problem associated with both pain intensity and PTS, as a mechanism in the association between pain intensity and PTS among trauma-exposed Latinos (N = 208, Mage = 39.39 years, SD = 11.48) attending a Federally Qualified Health Center. Results indicated that insomnia partially explained the relationship between pain intensity and PTS total score (B = 0.25, 95% CI [0.12, 0.43]), as well as re-experiencing (B = 0.09, 95% CI [0.04, 0.17]), avoidance (B = 0.09, 95% CI [0.04, 0.17]), and arousal symptoms (B = 0.10, 95% CI [0.04, 0.17]). Future work is needed to explore the extent to which insomnia accounts for relations between pain and PTS using longitudinal designs to further clarify theoretical health disparity models involving these comorbid conditions.

Integrating Mental and Physical Health Care for Low-Income Americans: Assessing a Federal Program's Initial Impact on Access and Cost

Individuals with mental health disorders often die decades earlier than the average person, and low-income individuals disproportionately experience limited access to necessary services. In 2014, the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) leveraged Affordable Care Act funds to address these challenges through behavioral health integration. The objective of this study is to assess the US$55 million program’s first-year impact on access and cost. This analysis uses multivariable difference-in-difference regression models to estimate changes in outcomes between the original 219 Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Behavioral Health Integration grantees and two comparison groups. The primary outcome variables are annual depression screening rate, percentage of mental health and substance use patients served, and per capita cost. The results change when comparing the Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) grantees to a propensity score-matched comparison group versus comparing the grantees to the full population of health centers. After one year of implementation, the grant program appeared ineffective as measured by this study’s outcomes, though costs did not significantly rise because of the program. This study has limitations that must be discussed, including non-randomized study design, FQHC data measurement, and BHI program design consequences. Time will tell if FQHC-based behavioral–physical health care integration will improve access among low-income, medically-underserved populations.

Feasibility and Acceptability of Prolonged Exposure in Primary Care (PE-PC) for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Federally Qualified Health Centers: A Pilot Study

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder that affects 6% of U.S. adults, yet is treated in only 30% of affected individuals and even fewer low-income individuals. One third of the nation's low-income individuals are treated in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Most of these facilities lack capacity to provide their patients with first-line, evidence-based treatments for PTSD such as Prolonged Exposure (PE). To address this problem, PE has been adapted for use in a primary care setting and demonstrated efficacy in a brief model for military service members (PE in Primary Care: PE-PC). The effectiveness of this treatment in civilian, low-resource settings such as FQHCs is unknown. This pilot study tested the feasibility and acceptability of PE-PC in 30 Michigan FQHC patients. High rates of therapy participation suggest that the intervention was feasible and acceptable. Semi-structured interview data from 10 patients and 5 FQHC providers indicated that the intervention was helpful and filled a critical need for effective PTSD treatment in the FQHC setting. Interviews also elucidated barriers such as transportation, provider training, and time commitment for patients and providers. These findings set the stage for a full-scale randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of PE-PC on PTSD symptoms in this low-resource, high-need setting.Trial registry ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03711266. October 18, 2018.

Improving Specialty Care Access via Telemedicine

Introduction: Telehealth is a potential solution to persistent disparities in health and health care access by eliminating structural barriers to care. However, its adoption in urban underserved settings has been limited and remains poorly characterized. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of patients receiving telemedicine (TM) consultation for specialty care of diabetes, hypertension, and/or kidney disease with a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) as the originating site and an academic medical center (AMC) multispecialty group practice as the distant site in an urban setting. Primary data were collected onsite at a local FQHC and an urban AMC between March 2017 and March 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical outcomes of study participants were compared with matched controls (CON) from a sister FQHC site who were referred for traditional in-person specialty visits at the AMC. No-show rates for study participants were calculated and compared to their no-show rates for standard (STD) in-person specialty visits at the AMC during the study period. A patient satisfaction questionnaire was administered at the end of each TM visit. Results: Visit attendance data were analyzed for 104 patients (834 visits). The no-show rate was 15%. The adjusted odds ratio for no-show for TM versus STD visits was 1.03 [0.66-1.63], p = 0.87. There were no significant differences between TM and CON groups in the change from pre- to intervention periods for mean arterial pressure (p = 0.26), serum creatinine (p = 0.90), or estimated glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.56). The reduction in hemoglobin A1c was significant at a trend level (p = 0.053). Patients indicated high overall satisfaction with TM. Discussion: The study demonstrated improved glycemic control and equivalent outcomes in TM management of hypertension and kidney disease with excellent patient satisfaction. This supports ongoing efforts to increase the availability of TM to improve access to care for urban underserved populations.

Association between Federally Qualified Health Center usage and emergency department utilization among California's HIV-infected Medicaid beneficiaries, 2009

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) have long been important sources of care for publicly insured people living with HIV. FQHC users have historically used emergency departments (EDs) at a higher-than-average rate. This paper examines whether this greater use relates to access difficulties in FQHCs or to characteristics of FQHC users. Zero-inflated Poisson models were used to estimate how FQHC use related to the odds of being an ED user and annual number of ED visits, using claims data on 6,284 HIV-infected California Medicaid beneficiaries in 2008-2009. FQHC users averaged significantly greater numbers of annual ED visits than non-FQHC users and those with no outpatient usage (1.89, 1.59, and 1.70, respectively; P = 0.043). FQHC users had higher odds of being ED users (OR = 1.14; 95%CI 1.02-1.27). In multivariable analyses, FQHC clients had higher odds of ED usage controlling for demographic and service characteristics (OR = 1.15; 95%CI 1.02-1.30) but not when medical characteristics were included (OR = 1.08; 95%CI 0.95-1.24). Among ED users, FQHC use was not significantly associated with the number of ED visits in our models (rate ratio (RR) = 1.00; 95%CI 0.87-1.15). The overall difference in mean annual ED visits observed between FQHC and non-FQHC groups was reduced to insignificance (1.75; 95% CI 1.59-1.92 vs 1.70; 95%CI 1.54-1.85) after adjusting for demographic, service, and medical characteristics. Overall, FQHC users had higher ED utilization than non-FQHC users, but the disparity was largely driven by differences in underlying medical characteristics.

Hepatitis C Treatment Cascade in a Federally Qualified Health Center

Hepatitis C (HCV) care cascades have been described in diverse clinical settings, patient populations and countries, highlighting the steps in HCV care where improvements can be made and resources allocated. However, more research is needed to examine barriers to HCV treatment in rural, underserved populations and in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). As part of a quality improvement (QI) project, this study aimed to describe and evaluate the HCV treatment cascade in an FQHC serving a large rural patient population in the Western United States. Standardized chart abstraction was utilized to aggregate data regarding patient demographics, the percentage of patients achieving each step in the treatment cascade, and relevant patient (i.e., viral load) and service variables (i.e., whether and when patients received treatment or medication). 389 patients were identified as having HCV and 86% were aware of their diagnosis. Fifty-five percent had their infection confirmed via viral load, 21% were staged for liver disease, 24% received a prescription for treatment, and 19% achieved cure. Compared to national data, the current regional sample had greater rates of diagnosis awareness and access to care, as well as sustained virologic response (SVR), but lower rates of viral load confirmation. Current findings suggest that rural patients living with HCV who receive care at FQHCs struggle to navigate the treatment cascade and achieve a cure, particularly with regard to infection confirmation, liver staging, and prescription. However, compared to national estimates, patients had greater rates of diagnosis awareness/treatment access and SVR.

Perceptions of a Spanish language Reproductive Health Self-assessment Tool Among Spanish-Speaking Women at a Federally Qualified Health Center

Latinas face barriers to contraceptive and preconception care. Using a Reproductive Health Self-Assessment Tool (RH-SAT) before primary care visits may help overcome these barriers. Twenty Spanish-speaking women at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Chicago received the RH-SAT before their visit then completed a phone interview about their perceptions of the RH-SAT. Transcripts were thematically analyzed using a modified grounded theoretical approach. All participants self-reported Hispanic/Latina ethnicity, either of Mexican (N = 19) or Puerto Rican (N = 1) origin. Participants (1) believed the RH-SAT was easy to use and its content was useful for women with a variety of reproductive goals; (2) felt it provided new information about preparing for pregnancy and contraception; (3) were prompted by the RH-SAT to self-reflect and ask questions not previously considered; and (4) felt it could help overcome barriers some women experience in discussing reproductive health. Participants felt the RH-SAT provided new information and would prompt them to discuss contraception and/or preparing for pregnancy with their clinician. This tool has the potential to facilitate patient-clinician discussion of reproductive health in primary care and overcome barriers experienced by some Spanish-speaking women.

Enhancing Behavioral Health Implementation in a Care Coordination Program at a Federally Qualified Health Center: A Case Study Applying Implementation Frameworks

Federally Qualified Health Centers are charged with providing comprehensive health care in traditionally underserved areas, underscoring their importance in caring for and promoting health equity for the large portion of historically marginalized communities in this setting. There is a significant need to ensure Federally Qualified Health Centers are equipped to appropriately address the immense behavioral health needs common among patients served. Care coordination is an evidence-based model that is increasingly utilized in Federally Qualified Health Centers to improve care equity and outcomes. Addressing and supporting behavioral health needs is a key aspect of such care coordination models. Context-specific considerations and programmatic supports, particularly those that address the needs of care coordinators and the complex patients they serve, are needed to ensure such models can appropriately meet and address the behavioral health concerns of the diverse populations served. The goal of this study was to present a mixed-methods case study that systematically applies implementation frameworks to conduct a needs and context assessment to inform the development and testing of evidence-based practice strategies and implementation support as part of a care coordination program within a partnered Federally Qualified Health Center.

Building research capacity at FQHCs: A model of support from the All of Us Research Program

The All of Us Research Program is an historic effort to gather data over 10+ years from one million or more people living in the United States to accelerate research and advance precision medicine. There is a particular focus on populations historically underrepresented in biomedical research who are often served by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). However, FQHCs face significant challenges in participating in research. This paper addresses three common barriers faced by FQHCs and describes a management model that was used to support a group of FQHCs participating in the All of Us Research Program. Specifically, the paper addresses the challenges of building FQHC research capacity to operationalize and manage research activities, transforming and sharing Electronic Health Records and other data, and recruiting and retaining research participants. The central coordination management model, which was used to support the FQHCs, is a generalizable framework and can serve as an exemplar of how to engage FQHCs in other longitudinal research efforts. To date, the FQHCs have enrolled more than 10,000 participants in the All of Us Research Program. Their success is an indicator that with the proper support, FQHCs can successfully implement a complex biomedical research program in the context of their health centers.

A feasibility and acceptability study of screening the parents/guardians of pediatric dental patients for the social determinants of health

BACKGROUND

The social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. Lack of SDOH training of dental providers on SDOH may result in suboptimal care provided to pediatric dental patients and their families. The purpose of this pilot study is to report the feasibility and acceptability of SDOH screening and referral by pediatric dentistry residents and faculty in the dental clinics of Family Health Centers at NYU Langone (FHC), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) network in Brooklyn, NY, USA.

METHODS

Guided by the Implementation Outcomes Framework, 15 pediatric dentists and 40 pediatric dental patient-parent/guardian dyads who visited FHC in 2020-2021 for recall or treatment appointments participated in this study. The a priori feasibility and acceptability criteria for these outcomes were that after completing the Parent Adversity Scale (a validated SDOH screening tool), ≥ 80% of the participating parents/guardians would feel comfortable completing SDOH screening and referral at the dental clinic (acceptable), and ≥ 80% of the participating parents/guardians who endorsed SDOH needs would be successfully referred to an assigned counselor at the Family Support Center (feasible).

RESULTS

The most prevalent SDOH needs endorsed were worried within the past year that food would run out before had money to buy more (45.0%) and would like classes to learn English, read better, or obtain a high school degree (45.0%). Post-intervention, 83.9% of the participating parents/guardians who expressed an SDOH need were successfully referred to an assigned counselor at the Family Support Center for follow-up, and 95.0% of the participating parents/guardians felt comfortable completing the questionnaire at the dental clinic, surpassing the a priori feasibility and acceptability criteria, respectively. Furthermore, while most (80.0%) of the participating dental providers reported being trained in SDOH, only one-third (33.3%) usually or always assess SDOH for their pediatric dental patients, and most (53.8%) felt minimally comfortable discussing challenges faced by pediatric dental patient families and referring patients to resources in the community.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides novel evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of SDOH screening and referral by dentists in the pediatric dental clinics of an FQHC network.

The Development of a Digital Patient Navigation Tool to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Federally Qualified Health Center Patients: Acceptability and Usability Testing

BACKGROUND

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are an essential place for historically underserved patients to access health care, including screening for colorectal cancer (CRC), one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States. Novel interventions aimed at increasing CRC screening completion rates at FQHCs are crucial.

OBJECTIVE

This study conducts user testing of a digital patient navigation tool, called eNav, designed to support FQHC patients in preparing for, requesting, and completing CRC screening tests.

METHODS

We recruited English- and Spanish-speaking patients (N=20) at an FQHC in New York City to user-test the eNav website (2 user tests; n=10 participants per user test). In each user test, participants engaged in a "think aloud" exercise and a qualitative interview to summarize and review their feedback. They also completed a baseline questionnaire gathering data about demographics, technology and internet use, medical history, and health literacy, and completed surveys to assess the website's acceptability and usability. Based on participant feedback from the first user test, we modified the eNav website for a second round of testing. Then, feedback from the second user test was used to modify and finalize the eNav website.

RESULTS

Survey results supported the overall usability and acceptability of the website. The average System Usability Scale score for our first user test was 75.25; for the second, it was 75.28. The average Acceptability E-scale score for our first user test was 28.3; for the second, it was 29.2. These scores meet suggested benchmarks for usability and acceptability. During qualitative think-aloud exercises, in both user tests, many participants favorably perceived the website as motivating, interesting, informative, and user-friendly. Respondents also gave suggestions on how to improve the website's content, usability, accessibility, and appeal. We found that some participants did not have the digital devices or internet access needed to interact with the eNav website at home.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on participant feedback on the eNav website and reported limitations to digital access across both user tests, we made modifications to the content and design of the website. We also designed alternative methods of engagement with eNav to increase the tool's usability, accessibility, and impact for patients with diverse needs, including those with limited access to devices or the internet at home. Next, we will test the eNav intervention in a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of the eNav website for improving CRC screening uptake among patients treated at FQHCs.

"We want to be heard": A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Care Access among Patients of an Urban Federally Qualified Health Center

Introduction

Although depression is common in primary care, challenges to timely intervention exist, particularly for communities of color and lower socioeconomic status. Our objective was to understand barriers and facilitators to mental healthcare access among a sample of patients receiving care at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Minnesota, United States.

Methods

We qualitatively interviewed 34 patients of an urban FQHC, purposively sampled on race/ethnicity, insurance status, language, and depression symptom status (based on Patient Health Questionnaire-9 responses). We inductively and deductively analyzed interview data, leveraging theory in both the codebook development and analysis processes.

Results

Participants, who were predominantly English-speaking, female, not privately insured, and people of color, shared numerous barriers and facilitators to accessing mental healthcare. Prominent barriers primarily concerned healthcare providers, including perceived dismissal of mental health concerns and challenges with provider continuity. Additional barriers included the costs of mental health care, communication breakdowns, the patient portal, and community-specific perceptions of mental health. Prominent facilitators included clinic organizational factors (internal and external) and staff friendliness and warmth. Other factors including consideration of patients' financial situation, integrated management of behavioral and physical health conditions, language concordant staff, the telehealth visit modality, and the clinic's social mission were also raised as facilitating access.

Conclusion

Patient voices from a single FQHC illustrate the challenges and possibilities of providing mental healthcare in safety net settings. Clinical, strategy, and policy solutions can be tailored to minimize barriers and optimize facilitators documented herein.

Outcomes of a two-visit protocol for long acting reversible contraception for adolescents and young adults

PURPOSE

To examine outcomes of a 2-visit protocol for placement of intrauterine or subdermal contraception.

METHODS

We identified all women ages 15 to 27 who received an order for an intrauterine or subdermal contraceptive between January 2014-December 2016. We examined time from order to contraceptive placement and reasons for incomplete orders.

RESULTS

We identified 1,192 unique patients who received 1,323 orders for intrauterine or subdermal contraceptives; 68% were completed at a second visit. The median time from order to placement was 22 days (interquartile range = 15-35). Of incomplete orders, 41% were related to logistics of a subsequent visit. Twenty-eight percent of patients had a subsequent pregnancy within the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

Efforts to provide same-day access for all contraceptive methods are needed.

Lessons Learned from Clinicians in a Federally Qualified Health Center: Steps Toward Eliminating Burnout

Background: Burnout continues to impact health care workers and its effect takes a toll on their lives and wellbeing, especially in primary care. Relatively few studies have focused specifically on the perspective of clinicians in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which offer crucial, preventative health care services to vulnerable and underserved patient populations. Objective: To examine the perspectives of clinicians working at an FQHC in the Northeast United States after the implementation of a year-long wellness initiative. Design: A qualitative analysis of clinician's discussion during focus groups conducted after the wellness initiative. Subjects and Setting/Location: A total of 28 clinicians (primary care physicians and nurse practitioners) in an FQHC in the Northeast United States. Interventions: A one-year wellness initiative with programs and activities designed to bolster wellness. Outcome Measures: Analyzed NVIVO-coded transcripts of focus group discussion to generate codes and used modified grounded theory to extrapolate meaningful themes. Results: Five key themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: (1) clinicians often felt burdened by their workload and personally responsible when they were not able to provide optimal care to patients; (2) burnout was exacerbated by systemic problems at the FQHC; (3) medical assistants, medical scribes, schedulers, and other support staff played a crucial role in the wellness of the entire team; (4) perceived differences in priorities between administration and health care workers may have contributed to burnout; and (5) a communicative and stable team helped clinicians effectively care for their patients. Conclusions: Clinician burnout is a complex problem at FQHCs with many root causes. Addressing burnout and improving clinician wellness at FQHCs will require a multifaceted approach encompassing systemic, team, and individual components. The perspectives from the clinicians at our FQHC may inform wellness strategies for other safety net, clinical institutions in the primary care setting.

Mis-implementation of evidence-based behavioural health practices in primary care: lessons from randomised trials in Federally Qualified Health Centers

Background

Implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) within service systems is critical to population-level health improvements - but also challenging, especially for complex behavioral health interventions in low-resource settings. "Mis-implementation" refers to poor outcomes from an EBP implementation effort; mis-implementation outcomes are an important, but largely untapped, source of information about how to improve knowledge exchange.

Aims and objectives

We present mis-implementation cases from three pragmatic trials of behavioral health EBPs in U.S. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

Methods

We adapted the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and its Outcomes Addendum into a framework for mis-implementation and used it to structure the case summaries with information about the EBP and trial, mis-implementation outcomes, and associated determinants (barriers and facilitators). We compared the three cases to identify shared and unique mis-implementation factors.

Findings

Across cases, there was limited adoption and fidelity to the interventions, which led to eventual discontinuation. Barriers contributing to mis-implementation included intervention complexity, low buy-in from overburdened providers, lack of alignment between providers and leadership, and COVID-19-related stressors. Mis-implementation occurred earlier in cases that experienced both patient- and provider-level barriers, and that were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discussion and conclusion

Multi-level determinants contributed to EBP mis-implementation in FQHCs, limiting the ability of these health systems to benefit from knowledge exchange. To minimize mis-implementation, knowledge exchange strategies should be designed around common, core barriers but also flexible enough to address a variety of site-specific contextual factors and should be tailored to relevant audiences such as providers, patients, and/or leadership.

Interprofessional Health Care Delivery: Perceptions of oral health care integration in a Federally Qualified Health Center

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic case study was to explore the perceptions of a team of interprofessional healthcare providers regarding how oral health care was integrated into health care provided within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Brighton, Colorado.Methods: Data were gathered through one-on-one, semi-structured personal interviews, which were recorded and professionally transcribed for evaluation. Purposive sampling included physicians, physician assistants, dentists, and dental hygienists. Descriptive analysis was used to describe the sample demographics. An inductive and deductive approach was utilized to assess the qualitative data and subsequently develop themes. Validity was established using triangulation, member checks, and peer review of data and themes by co-investigators.Results: Eight participants (n=8) were interviewed. Subjects were between the ages of 31 and 58 and had been practicing between 5 and 30 years with an average of 13.6 years and had been employed by the FQHC an average of 6.8 years. Thematic analysis revealed seven themes: interprofessional collaboration supports patient care, immediate consultations lead to improved outcomes for all, shared expertise to optimize care delivery, oral health is health, increased communication through collocation, role clarity does not impede team functioning, and mission driven to provide excellent care. These themes support the domains of patient centered care, communication, and the role clarity of the Interprofessional Care Competency Framework and Team Assessment Toolkit (ICCFTAT).Conclusion: Findings from this study can aid FQHC's in the implementation of integrated oral health care delivery systems. Further research is needed to understand how interprofessional health care collaboration (IPHC) affects the team dynamic in FQHC settings.

Post hoc depression analysis from a pharmacist-led diabetes trial

Introduction

Diabetes and depression may present concurrently, and clinical pharmacists are well equipped to manage these conditions. Clinical pharmacists were grant funded to implement a diabetes-focused randomized controlled trial in a Federally Qualified Health Center. The objective of this analysis is to evaluate if glycemic control and depressive symptoms improve for patients with diabetes and depression with additional management from clinical pharmacists compared with those receiving the standard of care.

Methods

This is a post hoc subgroup analysis of a diabetes-focused randomized controlled trial. Pharmacists enrolled patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and a glycated hemoglobin (A1C) greater than 8% and randomly assigned them to 1 of 2 cohorts, one managed by the primary care provider alone and one with additional care from the pharmacist. Pharmacists completed encounters with patients who have T2DM with or without depression to comprehensively optimize pharmacotherapy while tracking glycemic and depressive outcomes throughout the study.

Results

A1C improved from baseline to 6 months in patients with depressive symptoms who received additional care from pharmacists by -2.4 percentage points (SD, 2.41) compared with a -0.1 percentage point (SD, 1.78) reduction in the control arm (P  .0081), and there was no change in depressive symptoms.

Discussion

Patients with T2DM and depressive symptoms experienced better diabetes outcomes with additional pharmacist management compared with a similar cohort of patients with depressive symptoms, managed independently by primary care providers. These patients with diabetes and comorbid depression received a higher level of engagement and care from the pharmacists, which led to more therapeutic interventions.

Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment Outcomes in an At-Risk Underserved Population in Rhode Island

OBJECTIVES

Within the United States (US), significant racial and ethnic disparities exist in the rates of latent TB infection (LTBI) and active TB disease. A disproportionate number of TB disease cases result from untreated LTBI among individuals born outside the US. This study evaluates LTBI treatment outcomes among an underserved, at-risk population in Rhode Island.

METHODS

A quantitative retrospective chart review of adult patients with a positive screening test assessed LTBI care cascade outcomes including referral, treatment initiation, and completion.

RESULTS

Seventy-four percent of patients found to have positive screening TB tests were born outside of the US; 80% identified as Hispanic or Black and 45% spoke a preferred language other than English. Twenty-one percent of potential candidates for LTBI treatment initiated treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Major gaps were identified in referral success and treatment initiation. Expanding LTBI treatment access into primary care settings could be a solution to improve outcomes and decrease health inequities among at-risk communities.