How FQHCs Can Stay HRSA-Compliant

Community health care organizations must adhere to regulations set forth by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Here’s how a digital solution such as OnBoard can simplify the process.

April 4, 2024 | | Written by Andrew Saunders, Healthcare Solution Consultant, OnBoard

Health care compliance — adhering to rules, standards, policies, laws, and regulations related to medical practices — is about keeping operations running smoothly. It also promotes safe, high-quality care, and in a high-risk industry where decision-making is sometimes measured in minutes or seconds, proper compliance is essential.

Community health centers must adhere to the regulations set forth by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It’s common for community health centers to use board management solutions to stay HRSA-compliant.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the ways CMCs could use such a digital solution.

Staying Compliant Using Board Management Software

To stay HRSA-compliant, a health care organization must do more than just follow a set of guidelines and rules. The organization must maintain accurate records, safeguard patients’ personal data, and provide instant access to documentation — all of which are key capabilities of a good board portal.

HRSA’s Health Center Program Compliance Manual stipulates the requirements that community health centers must meet to show compliance. Here are a few such requirements, and how a board management solution could help each step:

The FQHC CEO gives a high-level administrative update on needs assessment at the board meeting (as part of Requirements 3A and 3B), including documentation and charts, a report like this is typically too large to send via email or a flash drive. With a board portal, a staff member could upload the file into the portal’s resource folders, so board members could easily view it.
Sometimes, a health center will need to change its scope of services or add or remove locations. Whenever this happens, a staff member needs to contact the board of directors for review, approval, and a vote (HRSA Requirement 4A). Without a board portal, board members typically receive details via email, then review and vote at the next board meeting. A board portal would enable board members to vote anytime, from any device.
Any relevant documentation, such as bylaws, articles of incorporation, and meeting minutes, must be easily accessible to ensure the board maintains authority for duty of oversight (HRSA Requirements 19A-E). Boards can use board portals to store these documents, along with org charts, staff job descriptions, and other similar data.
For boards that meet remotely, board portals become even more important. When boards that meet remotely recruit new members (HRSA Requirements 20A-C), they’re likely conducting interviews via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. A reputable board portal will include integrated video conferencing capabilities, so interviews can be set up and recorded within the portal. Boards could also store resumes and other relevant documents within the portal, and a good portal would include granular permissions to limit access to these sensitive documents to specific users.

How Board Portals Can Improve Quality of Care

Board management software benefits don’t stop at regulatory compliance. They also help patients in a roundabout way.

Like the more well-known HIPAA standards, HRSA’s requirements can appear daunting at first. In a highly regulated industry like health care, functionality such as easy-to-use document access, real-time voting, and robust adherence to security standards isn’t optional. An effective board management solution enables health care organizations to stay compliant, operate effectively, and have more time and energy to focus on quality of care.

OnBoard is a board management solution that offers boards and leadership teams an elegant, digital, secure solution that simplifies governance.