CLC Standardizes its Needs Assessment to Reduce Client Costs

By: John Mitchell

A long-held marketing rule advises: "If you don't know where you're going, all roads lead there." For an FQHC, avoiding such a strategic dead end starts with a well-researched, reasoned, and strategically sound Needs Assessment. A Needs Assessment is the statistically informed deep dive into the realities faced by the population in an FQHC’s service area.

A Needs Assessment is vital to inform an FQHC Board and leadership team to set strategic priorities that overcome barriers to service and gaps in healthcare options. CLC has recently refined its Needs Assessment format. The result is better standardization to increase repeatability from year to year, lower client costs by reducing the number of hours needed to complete an assessment, and adds an executive summary highlighting key trends for the board and leaders to consider addressing.

How Often Should a Needs Assessment Be Completed?

A Needs Assessment should be conducted at least every three years as required by HRSA. However, many FQHCs conduct a review every one to two years. It usually takes one of three forms:

  1.  Service Area Competition (SAC) Application Support: The Needs part of the narrative is one of the lengthiest sections of the overall SAC narrative.

  2.  Stand-Alone Needs Assessment: It is best practice to update a Needs Assessment annually between SAC periods to support strategic decision-making.

  3.  As part of other grants, especially HRSA grants: New Access Point grants will especially require a deep dive into community health needs.

 Three reasons for an FQHC to conduct a Need Assessment.

  1.  The needs of the community change: A Needs Assessment must measure the health status of current patients and show the unmet needs of other demographic groups in the service area. It should show changes over the last few years. Finding unmet needs in a service area also reveals new grant possibilities for an FQHC. For example, applying for a grant to meet an expanding pediatric population’s prevention and wellness needs.

  2.  Provide important context for strategic planning: An FQHC Board, some of whom have no healthcare experience, requires a detailed, data-driven summary of needs to make the best decisions. As part of its Needs Assessment, CLC identifies changing trends, such as a change in insurance coverage, employment, or demographics that might alter program funding.

  3.  Speeds grant applications: Most grants require an FQHC to demonstrate that it serves a legitimate and current need. A Needs Assessment is the most critical makeup of a grant application. Done right, it positions the FQHC against other grant applicants as a strong competitive candidate to receive funding.

CLC consultants complete dozens of Needs Assessments each year and find that clients appreciate our health center experience and third-party perspective, along with the time they save their staff. Please contact us if we can support your next assessment.