The Rural Health Clinic program strives to be the major provider for primary care services for Medicaid and Medicare patients in rural communities which tend to have health disparities due to geographic isolation and low physician density. RHCs can be public, private, or non-profit entities. All RHCs are eligible for facility HPSA designation and the federal funding that comes from that designation, but due to their patient population, RHCs’ main funding sources are enhanced reimbursement rates for providing Medicaid and Medicare services to rural populations. As such, RHCs must be located in underserved rural areas, as designated by HRSA, and must employ nonphysician practitioners (i.e., physician assistants or nurse practitioners) alongside physicians as part of a team-based approach to patient care. For more information, see https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/rural-health-clinics.
