Frontier Extended Stay Clinic Pilot Program Receives Positive Reviews
The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) released a study today outlining the positive accomplishments of the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) Pilot Program. A FESC facility is a "is a geographically isolated medical clinic designed to provide primary, emergency, and extended-stay care 24 hours per day when hospital services are not readily available." Pilot sites existed in isolated areas of Alaska and Washington. RUPRI found that FESC sites reduced costs by providing local care and decreasing costly transfers to other facilities. Quality and timeliness of patient care was also improved in the communities where FESC facilities were located. To view the entire report, click here. A summary is available here. The FESC program was authorized in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 and is administered through grant support by the Office of Rural Health Policy.