Don't Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Good: A Proof of Concept for a Custom National Data Repository of Quality Measures for Free and Charitable Clinics

PURPOSE: Free and charitable clinics (FCCs), nonprofits that utilize volunteer licensed health care professionals to provide health services at no cost or a small fee to low-income uninsured patients who are disproportionately from underrepresented communities, have been part of the safety net for over a century. Approximately 1400 known FCCs serve two million patients annually. Despite their longevity and sizable number, evidence regarding the quality of care in FCCs is lacking. We report new evidence generated by a national initiative, the Roadmap to Health Equity. Established in 2017, this consortium is co-led by two national organizations serving FCCs and an academic institution. It has involved more than 150 FCC stakeholders with the shared goal of improving the quality of care and reducing inequities. The centerpiece is a custom national data repository of 15 validated clinical quality measures and patient-level characteristics. METHODS: Fifty FCCs pilot tested the data repository. Clinics submitted patient-level data on two blood pressure (BP) measures and at least one additional measure. Descriptive statistics were stratified by sex, race, ethnicity, and language. RESULTS: In 2021, 33 pilot FCCs from 21 states reported data across 13 of the 15 clinical measures, representing 34,359 unique patients. For example, on average, 60% of patients had controlled BP, but Black patients had lower rates of BP control than Hispanic and White patients (55.9% vs. 62.1% and 63.0%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate a proof of concept. By standardizing quality measures alongside patient characteristics, clinics can become aware of racial/ethnic inequalities in health outcomes. This information can motivate clinics to investigate the causes and implement solutions. In an environment where outcome data from FCCs are scarce, the new national data repository lays the foundation for routine stratified reporting of a range of quality outcomes for an important safety net for the uninsured.