The two largest patient groups in California are Kaiser members (9 million) and patients served by California’s FQHCs (7 million), but you could not find two more dissimilar health systems. Kaiser and nearly all other health systems organize their providers in medical groups; FQHCs are private non-profits that employ and support their providers independently. The separation between individual FQHCs results in inconsistent access and quality, an inability to retain talent and resources, and diminished voice in the broader health care system.

An FQHC Medical Group combines the best of the medical group model - shared quality standards, multi-site, primary care, and specialty provider network, clinician leadership and ownership, career stability, and high retention - with the best of FQHCs - integrated medical and mental health care, mission-driven with a focus on access and equity, nimble and responsive to the communities they serve. An FQHC Medical Group ensures consistent access to diverse providers, and high-quality care across all FQHCs, and fosters a joyful, sustainable career in community health.

An FQHC Medical Group fundamentally changes individual FQHCs’ relationships with providers. The Medical Group directly employs medical and mental health providers and deploys them, under contract, to FQHCs thereby ensuring consistent staffing, provider diversity, and clinical scope where needed. Best practices are applied, and quality standards are monitored across the entire Medical Group. Providers are supported by clinical leadership on all levels and are connected to a provider community that spans many FQHCs. Staff and resources duplicated across several FQHCs would be unified under the Medical Group, reducing costs and improving outcomes for individual FQHCs.