CPCA Health Center Controlled Network: A Look Back at Year One
The California Primary Care Association (CPCA) recently completed its first year as a Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN), supporting participating health centers in strengthening their use of data, technology, and health information exchange to improve quality outcomes.
During the first year CPCA collaborated with participating health centers (PHCs) to build organizational capacity, support colleague learning, and provide targeted assistance in areas critical to delivering high-quality, coordinated care. CPCA focused on understanding each health center’s priorities, identifying opportunities for improvement, and connecting PHCs with training, resources, subject matter experts, and colleagues.
Given that every health center has differing levels of data and technology capacity, individualized planning was central to the first year. PHCs worked with CPCA to develop workplans reflecting their organizational needs and goals. These workplans guide training and technical assistance and will be revisited annually as priorities evolve. Workplan activities for Year 1 focused on five areas:
Strengthening data management and analytics so health centers can better use clinical, financial, and operational data to improve quality, outcomes, and operations.
Improving interoperability and data exchange to support access to information needed for coordinated patient care.
Advancing data modernization by building knowledge of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and more efficient information exchange.
Advancing value-based care readiness by helping PHCs use data to understand patient populations, monitor performance, and improve outcomes.
Exploring artificial intelligence, including its opportunities, risks, and responsible adoption within PHCs.
Throughout the year, 11 participating PHCs engaged in HCCN learning and technical assistance activities. CPCA delivered seven trainings with 111 total attendances, reaching 51 unique individuals. PHCs also participated in 13 colleague-led network-learning sessions, generating 222 total attendances and reaching 51 unique individuals. Ten PHCs received individualized technical assistance.
YEAR AT A GLANCE:
100% of participating PHCs attended at least one training and one network-learning opportunity, and 91% received individualized technical assistance.
The HCCN also helped PHCs address implementation barriers. For example, when one health center encountered an insurance coverage requirement in its health information exchange (HIE) contract that was too high, CPCA worked with their HIE to elevate the concern and support a request to its board to lower the requirement. This illustrates how the HCCN can help facilitate discussions among health centers, vendors, and partners to identify practical solutions.
As a new HCCN, CPCA benefited from participating in conferences and convenings, as well as hosting a PHC convening at CPCA's Quality and Technology Conference. These opportunities helped staff learn from peers, deepen their understanding of the HCCN landscape, build relationships with experts, and strengthen the network’s foundation.
The first year provided CPCA with valuable insight into PHCs’ different technology environments, organizational capabilities, and implementation challenges. These lessons help CPCA tailor assistance to each health center’s readiness and priorities. CPCA also strengthened its internal capacity to collect, analyze, and interpret network-level information, which will help identify shared trends, target resources, and demonstrate the HCCN’s collective impact.
As the network enters the second year, the HCCN will move from planning and assessment toward implementation and optimization. By connecting health centers with one another and with needed tools and expertise, CPCA’s HCCN is helping strengthen the infrastructure for high-quality, coordinated, and data-informed care across California.