You might be surprised to learn that North Carolina is the fifth-fastest-growing state in the country. Also the ninth most populous state, with an estimated population of 11,046,024, it boasts a moderate climate, a strong economy, low tax rates and an affordable cost of living.
Approximately 40 percent of North Carolina’s residents live in rural areas. Although these predominantly coastal plain and mountainous western regions offer impressive views, a slower pace of life and extensive opportunities for outdoor activities, they also encounter more limited access to services, especially healthcare.
Twelve rural hospitals in the Tar Heel State have closed or been converted to different uses since 2006. Almost 10 percent of the state’s population (965,200 people) are uninsured. Of North Carolina’s 100 counties, 92 have shortages of healthcare professionals.
Without North Carolina’s 42 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Look-alikes (LAs) that collectively serve more than 500,000 patients, residents would have even more difficulty accessing healthcare. That includes the state’s 1.58 million households that are considered low-income.
The Impact of Federally Qualified Health Centers on Healthcare Accessibility
Across the United States, approximately 1,370 FQHCs operating in more than 15,000 service sites provide care to roughly 31.5 million patients, representing 1 in 11 people. Every year, they provide care to more than 20 million people with low incomes, 17 million people of color, 15 million enrollees in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and roughly six million people who are uninsured.
In addition to making it easier for marginalized populations to access and engage in healthcare, FQHCs are designed to serve communities that may have financial disadvantages, language and geographic barriers or other specific needs. Because of more affordable care, patients have better access to immunizations, health education and preventive screenings. Plus, FQHCs meet nationally accepted practice standards for managing chronic illnesses and reducing health disparities.
Key Challenges Faced by FQHCs
Many FQHCs, however, are overwhelmed by patient volume, and budget and financial limitations often hinder their mission. They struggle to recruit and retain both clinical and non-clinical staff members, and the staffing shortage only makes the problem worse. About 70 percent of FQHCs report primary care physician, nurse or mental health professional shortages.
Balancing patient communication while managing an unrelenting volume of inbound calls was certainly a problem for North Carolina-based Piedmont Health, an FQHC established in 1970. Piedmont offers primary care, dental and pharmacy services and behavioral health/care management through 12 community health centers (CHCs) and mobile services.
In 2024, the North Carolina FQHC provided medical care to 39,326 patients, dental services to 9,062 residents and behavioral health care to 5,614 individuals. Without enough staff, though, the Piedmont call center and front desk teams faced a plethora of administrative tasks that resulted in missed patient calls and lengthy hold times. Not having enough resources for their Spanish-speaking population also created a hurdle for full patient engagement.
The Piedmont quality team knew these challenges were affecting patient satisfaction. They wanted to find a solution that not only could alleviate the burden on their staff but also provide bilingual support for their Spanish-speaking patients and streamline clinical inquiries, appointment scheduling and after-hours call routing.
Check out our case study to learn how Piedmont Health is utilizing Providertech’s agentic AI solution to achieve a 40 percent decrease in abandoned calls, a 60+ percent increase in Spanish call completion, improved appointment access for patients and more.
