Primary Care Projects: Expanded Hours of Service

Project Description
Fort Bend County received approval to develop a project to expand the hours of operation of AccessHealth, the local Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) to accommodate the expected increase in use by uninsured/ under-insured population (Indigent Health Care), Medicaid patients who are referred into the clinic from the 1115 Waiver projects within Fort Bend County.

This project will enhance the capacity of the FQHC to respond to the number of clients anticipated to be referred in to the FQHC by increasing the hours of the clinic to a consistent 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Monday through Friday schedule and 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM all Saturdays.

Goals and Relationship to Regional Goals
The goal of this project is to provide expanded access to primary care by increasing the staffing at the local FQHC and expanding the hours of operation. The goal will increase the number of uninsured/ under-insured population, Medicaid patients eligible clients who have a medical home, prevention services and chronic disease management. At the same time, the project will decreased use of high cost emergency departments and EMS for non-urgent health conditions.

The project addresses the following regional goals:

  • Increase access to primary and specialty care services, with a focus on underserved populations
  • Transform health care delivery from a disease-focused model of episodic care to a patient-centered, coordinated delivery model that improves patient satisfaction and health outcomes, reduces unnecessary or duplicative services, and builds on the accomplishments of our existing health care system.

5-year Expected Outcome for Provider and Patients
Through better utilization of medical homes for community members who presently receive episodic care in our emergency departments, Fort Bend County expects to achieve improvements in the health status of the targeted population, improved follow up with appointments and medications, better utilization of available community resources and decreased use of high cost emergency departments and EMS for non-urgent health conditions.

For more information, please contact: 1115waiver@fortbendcountytx.gov.