In a conversation with California Healthline, Kim Dempsey -- director of innovation and strategy at NCB Capital Impact -- discussed her organization's recent ethnography study of community health centers.
Dempsey said the study sought to identify opportunities that could help community clinics prepare for coming changes under the federal health reform law.
According to Dempsey, most community health centers struggle to find a balance between focusing on patient wellness and focusing on reimbursements for billable visits. At the same time, clinics must prioritize internal issues like staff retention while staying on top of external issues like national and state policy developments, she said.
Dempsey noted that NCB Capital Impact's study offers several recommendations to improve the operations of community health centers. For example, the report suggests that community clinics designate a "chief people officer" to focus on staff recruitment, development and retention, Dempsey said (California Healthline, 3/15).
The complete transcript of this report is available as a PDF.
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