A Rural Health Clinic (RHC) is a clinic located in a rural, underserved area with a shortage of primary care providers, personal health services, or both.
- A Rural Health Clinic (RHC) is a clinic located in a rural, underserved area with a shortage of primary care providers, personal health services, or both. Currently, there are about 4,500 RHCs nationwide providing primary care and preventive health services in underserved rural areas.
RHCs provide:
- Primary care and preventive services
- Services and supplies furnished incident to RHC practitioner services, such as taking blood pressure or administering shots
- Homebound visiting nurse services in CMS-certified home health agency shortages
- Some care management services
- Some virtual communication services, such as communications-based technology and remote evaluation services
An RHC must:
- Be in an area defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as non-urbanized
- Be in an area currently designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) within the last 4 years as 1 of these:
- Primary Care Geographic Health Professional Shortage Area
- Primary Care Population-Group Health Professional Shortage Area
- Medically Underserved Area
- Governor-designated and Secretary-certified Shortage Area
An RHC must:
- Employ an NP or PA (RHCs may contract with NPs, PAs, CNMs, CPs, and CSWs when the RHC employs at least 1 NP or PA)
- Have an NP, PA, or CNM working at least 50% of the time during operational hours
- Post operation days and hours
Health Care Services Requirements:
- Directly provide routine diagnostic and lab services
- Have arrangements with 1 or more hospitals to provide medically necessary services unavailable at the RHC
- Have drugs and biologicals available to treat emergencies
- Provide these lab tests on site:
- Stick or tablet chemical urine exam or both
- Hemoglobin or hematocrit
- Blood sugar
- Occult blood stool specimens exam
- Pregnancy tests
- Primary culturing to send to a certified lab
- Not be primarily a mental disease treatment facility or a rehabilitation agency
- Not be a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)