The California Medical Association (CMA) has published a new chapter on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in its flagship California Physicians Legal Handbook (CPLH). CPLH is the premier legal resource for California health care law, offering more than 5,500 pages of comprehensive legal information including current laws, regulations and court decisions affecting health care all in a digital handbook.

The first new chapter to be added to CPLH in over a decade, it was designed to help California physicians, health care professionals, administrators and legal experts navigate the intricate landscape of FQHC compliance. It demystifies the certification process, and helps practices navigate clinic licensing, explore various payment models and navigate the 340B drug pricing program.

Individual documents include:

• FQHC Background and Overview (#1500)
• FQHC Certification (#1501)
• FQHC Licensure (#1502)
• FQHC Clinic Types (#1503)
• FQHC Services and Visits (#1504) 
• FQHC Payment Models (#1505)
• FQHC Cost Reports (#1506)
• 340B Drug Pricing Program (#1507)
• Alignment Models (#1508)
• The Federal Tort Claims Act (#1509)

CMA collaborated with several health law attorneys on this new chapter, including California Primary Care Association General Counsel Joey Cachuela, Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld Counsel Deborah Rotenberg, McDermott Will & Emery Counsel Emily Cook, and Athene Law Counsel Kyle Brierly, whose expertise and deep understanding of health care regulations provide valuable insights into the complexities of FQHCs. 

How to Access CPLH

CMA members have free access to CPLH content via CMA’s online Health Law Library at cmadocs.org/health-law-library. Non-members can purchase individual documents for $3 per page. The entire CPLH library is also available as an annual subscription for $575 at cplh.org.

We Want to Hear from You

Your feedback is invaluable to us. If there are specific questions or areas you would like us to cover in future editions of the FQHC chapter please email the CMA’s Center for Legal Affairs at legalinfo@cmadocs.org.