Wright Looks at FQHC Usage Among Dual Eligibles

A portrait of Brad Wright of the University of Iowa College of Public Health.

Brad Wright is among the first to evaluate the relationship between receiving care at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and the rate of hospital stays and emergency department (ED) visits for potentially preventable conditions among individuals who receive both Medicare and Medicaid, known as “dual eligibles.” FQHCs are stand-alone health care facilities that receive federal grants to administer care to underserved populations. Wright and others found that FQHC use was associated with a reduction in potentially preventable hospital stays among black and Hispanic dual eligibles. By contrast, FQHC use was associated with an increase in potentially preventable ED visits for all dual eligible regardless of race or ethnicity.

This project was funded by the Retirement Research Foundation.