Meet the 'safety net under the safety net' for underserved patients

Ariana Gordillo is working to dispel the misbelief that you only get what you pay for.

Gordillo is Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives for the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC), the nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that medically underserved people have access to affordable health care — and that the care they receive meets national quality standards.

In addition to supporting more than 1,400 free and charitable clinics and pharmacies nationwide, the NAFC collaborates with the AAFP Foundation on its Family Medicine Cares USA (FMC USA) program.

FMC USA awards grants to support the creation of new free clinics across the United States and the purchase of medical supplies and equipment for existing clinics.

Gordillo and her team work with FMC USA to make sure that the clinics they invest in will have a positive impact on their communities. One way they do this is by awarding a gold, silver or bronze seal of excellence each year to member clinics that consistently demonstrate best practices in their policies and procedures. The NAFC helps FMC USA review grant applications and verify that clinics have earned that seal.

While participation in the Quality Standards program is voluntary, Gordillo said the majority of clinics and pharmacies in the NAFC network take part because it increases credibility.

“It shows their community, their donors, their partners that they're providing high quality of care,” she said.

Earning a ratings seal is a multi-step process that requires the clinic or pharmacy to self-assess against a set of criteria established by the NAFC. In turn, the NAFC provides clinics with documentation support, peer reviews, and a comprehensive toolkit.

Gordillo said the program lets members “see where they are compared to the national standards, and helps them strengthen their own system,” which incentivizes improvement.

The seal of excellence also signals to family physicians, staff and volunteers who work in these clinics that they are run with sound clinical and operational practices that prioritize “patient safety, continuous improvement and good governance.”

What drives the teams at NAFC and FMC USA is the belief that everyone deserves access to quality health care delivered with compassion and respect.

Which is why Gordillo is the first to say that the level of care provided at NAFC clinics is as good as — and often better than — anything she’s found in the private sector.

Here, physicians practice medicine in its purest form, taking time to understand and address their patients’ needs on a holistic level.

Gordillo described the NAFC’s charitable clinics and pharmacies, which see millions of patients each year, as “a very important part of the safety net.”

“We actually call them the safety net under the safety net … supporting all the people who fall through the gaps of the U.S. health care system,” she said.

Applications for Family Medicine Cares USA grants are open from March 15 to July 15, 11:59 p.m.