Striking the Right Staffing Balance in Health Centers

Abstract

Health centers are a critical source of primary care, especially for individuals living in underserved communities. In 2023, over 110 million visits were managed by over 300 000 full-time equivalent (FTE) clinical and nonclinical support staff.¹ The study by Sun and colleagues² identified 5 distinct FTE staffing patterns across a subset of health centers with publicly available health workforce data and found notable differences in care quality across these staffing models. Limited studies to date have been able to inform employers, policymakers, and other workforce planners on how health center staffing models affect health care delivery to underserved communities.³ The findings of the study by Sun et al² consider how different team configurations, rather than specific professions as examined in previous studies,^4,5 contribute to variations in primary care delivery and outcomes.

Authors:

Journal/Publisher:

Edition:

Link to Article

Citation: