As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Aunt Martha’s receives programmatic and funding support from our primary funder, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Each year, HRSA compiles data from every FQHC across the country and releases an extensive report detailing, among other things, each FQHC’s performance on core quality metrics and its cost of care per patient.
With every new HRSA report, Aunt Martha’s gains a greater understanding of our position in the community health center space and, more importantly, the value that we bring to our patients, communities, funders, and ultimately the taxpayers. As many of you are already aware, Aunt Martha’s considers value to be at the core of everything we do. It is the lens through which we assess our services. It is what drives our decision making. And it is the promise me make – and keep – for the benefit of those we serve. That is why we are honored to announce that, based on the HRSA report released earlier this week,
Aunt Martha’s ranks #3 in quality as compared to all FQHCs in Illinois.*
Our quality outcomes indicate that HRSA will also likely announce in the coming weeks that Aunt Martha’s is a National Quality Leader for the 7th straight year. While Aunt Martha’s is extremely proud of the quality outcomes we have been able to achieve for some of the most vulnerable, underserved patients in our communities, we understand that quality is only part of the equation. At Aunt Martha’s, we believe that in order to determine the true value of the care we provide, the cost of that care must also be considered.
That is why Aunt Martha’s is also honored to announce we were able to provide those high quality outcomes at the lowest cost of care in Illinois. Aunt Martha’s cost of care per patient is a mere $572 while the average cost in Illinois is almost double at $977. In fact, Aunt Martha’s cost of care has remained lower than the average cost of care in Illinois for the past six years in a row. While the cost of care has increased by 47% nationally and 53% in Illinois over the past 7 years, Aunt Martha’s has decreased our cost of care by 18%. We contribute this success not only our fully integrated approach to care, but also to our comprehensive in-house care coordination services, which allow us to tailor our efforts to the needs of our patients.
When you combine both quality and cost data, they tell a powerful story. From a healthcare perspective, Value = Outcomes/Cost. Therefore, the question becomes, “Are our patients getting healthier and are we lowering the cost of care?” This latest HRSA report unequivocally answers this all-important question. Simply put,
Aunt Martha’s provides the best value of any FQHC in Illinois.
Over the past 50 years, Aunt Martha’s has remained devoted to our mission. We have proudly served our communities with a strong commitment to quality. That is the fabric of who Aunt Martha’s is and will always be. In many ways, the data shows the benefits of our investments in technology, our embrace of both business and healthcare science, and our endless pursuit of innovation. From our adoption of an integrated approach to care 19 years ago to our status as the first FQHC in Illinois to pilot tele-psychiatry 15 years ago, Aunt Martha’s prides itself on leading the way.
To our dedicated staff, I want to thank you for your passion for the work and your commitment to our patients. These outcomes demonstrate that we are on the right path – a path that we will continue to forge as we remain steadfast in enhancing and evolving our model to meet the needs of our patients. To our friends and stakeholders, thank you for joining Aunt Martha’s on this exciting journey – for the past 50 years and for years to come. We know that with days like today, the best is yet to come.
*Based on the compilation of quartile rankings for all quality metrics for each FQHC.
