Georgia HCCN
(Health Center Controlled Network)

Achieving better results.

What Is the GPCA Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN)

Salesman-shaking-hands-with-doctorThe Georgia Primary Care Association’s Health Center Controlled Network includes 33 of our state’s health centers.  We are one of the 49 organizations funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the 2022 HCCN competitive award. The GPCA HCCN has been providing members training, technical assistance, and health information technology services for over 21 years.

Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs) are networks of health centers and look-alikes that work together to strengthen and leverage health information technology (IT) to improve health centers’ operational and clinical practices that result in better health outcomes for the communities they serve.  HCCNs use HRSA funding to support health centers in leveraging health IT and data to deliver high-quality, culturally competent, equitable, and comprehensive primary health care, with a specific focus on improvements in:

  • Clinical quality,
  • Security of patient information,
  • Use of data to improve patient care,
  • Patient-centered care, and
  • Provider and staff well-being.

HCCNs are at least majority controlled and at least majority owned by Health Center Program (H80) award recipients.  Our HCCN members provide health care services in the state of Georgia.

Strategic Partnerships of the GPCA HCCN

In addition to working hand-in-hand with the Georgia Primary Care Association (GPCA), the HCCN maintains strategic partnerships with organizations like:

Shot of a team of doctors having a meeting

Services and Assistance Offered to HCCN Members

Medical Staff Seated In Circle At Case MeetingImproving Overall Patient Engagement – Provide support for patients and families’ participation in their health care through expanded use of integrated digital health tools (e.g., electronic messages sent through patient portals to providers, telehealth visits, remote monitoring devices).

Training and Assistance in Matters of Patient Privacy and Cybersecurity – Including assistance in developing formally defined health information and technology policies and practices that advance security to protect individual privacy and organizational access.

Integration of Social Risk/Need Data – Provide training, tools, and best practices to use patient level data on social risk factors to support comprehensive patient care plans for coordinated, effective interventions.  This includes better collection and use of social needs through tools like PRAPARE (Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks and Experiences).

Support and Assistance in Federal Reporting – Including support for members during the transition as a part of the Uniform Data System (UDS) Modernization Initiative including UDS+.

Improving Data Interoperability and Integration – Assist members with improving the capacity to integrate clinical information with data from clinical and nonclinical sources across the health care continuum (e.g., hospitals, specialty providers, departments of health, health information exchanges (HIE), care coordinators, social service/housing organizations) to optimize care coordination and workflows.

Improving Data Utilization – Using data tools and strategies, such as use of predictive analytics with data visualization, to support performance improvement and value-based care activities.

Increasing the Use of Digital Health Tools – To support providers and staff in achieving and maintaining proficiency in the use of digital health tools (e.g., telehealth and remote patient monitoring tools) during the process of providing health care services.

Improving the Overall Adoption and Use Health Information Technology (IT) – Assist members to improve health IT usability and adoption by providers, staff, and patients (e.g., align EHRs with clinical workflows, improve structured data capture in and/or outside of EHRs, use of metadata to improve EHR user experience).

Contact Us

If you have any questions or need more information about the Georgia PCA HCCN, please contact us at askHCCN@gaphc.org.