Health Centers Program
Since the first community health center opened in 1965, the Health Center Program has become one of the most expansive and consequential programs in American health care. Today more than 1500 organizations operate over 17,000 sites, serving approximately 52 million patients, including one in seven Americans and one in three rural residents.
At Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville, our attorneys understand the environment in which community health centers operate. We represent community health centers, FQHC Look-Alikes, Primary Care Associations, Health Center Controlled Networks, and other community-based organizations dedicated to expanding access to care for vulnerable populations.
We provide practical, mission-aligned legal counsel to help organizations navigate complex health care regulation, compliance requirements, and operational challenges.
Compliance, Operations & Governance
Community health centers operate at the intersection of federal grant requirements, health care regulation, and public health policy. Our attorneys have decades of experience advising on Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) compliance, federal and state audits, grant management, billing, contracting, and the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
We help health centers understand the full scope of their federal obligations, prepare for oversight activity, respond to agency inquiries, and engage constructively when federal policy threatens to undermine their mission and financial stability. Through proactive counsel, we strengthen governance, internal controls, financial oversight, and staff development via compliance program reviews, risk assessments, in-person consultations, and virtual training through our Powers Knowledge platform.
Governance sits at the center of federal compliance for health centers, and we treat it accordingly. We advise boards of directors on oversight structures, board and management responsibilities, and HRSA’s consumer-majority governance requirements so they can develop and implement policies that allow leadership to function effectively. We also provide board training and ongoing advisory support designed to keep health centers in strong standing with their federal grantors.
In addition to compliance and governance, we counsel health centers on Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement frameworks, federal nondiscrimination requirements, telehealth policy, and the notice and comment process. When rulemaking or agency action affects health center programs, we assist clients with formal comments, direct engagement with HRSA and other federal agencies, and, where necessary, administrative appeals and litigation.
Risk Management & Liability Protection
Our attorneys have decades of experience helping health centers identify, manage, and mitigate legal and operational risk inherent in delivering community-based care. Risk in this sector takes many forms, and our practice is built to address it comprehensively.
On the clinical side, we advise on the full range of medical malpractice options including Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) coverage, as well as private malpractice insurance and gap coverage for providers and services outside of the FTCA Program’s protections. We also advise on insurance carrier relationships and provide strategic guidance, mock site visits, and training on coverage requirements, claims, deeming applications, and crisis response planning.
We bring same depth of experience to privacy and data security matters, counseling clients on . Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) compliance, 42 CFR Part 2 confidentiality protections for substance use disorder records, and the federal Information Blocking Rule.
We also advise on cyber insurance and data breach response, helping health centers evaluate coverage options, understand policy terms, meet notification and reporting obligations following a breach, and ensure that their insurance protections keep pace with an evolving threat landscape.
Litigation & Government Investigations
Powers attorneys are seasoned litigators with extensive experience advocating for health centers in federal trial and appellate courts nationwide. Our team represents clients in disputes involving Medicaid reimbursement rights, immunity under the Public Health Service Act, False Claims Act and fraud allegations, whistleblower actions, and other matters involving the unique rights and responsibilities of health centers.
We also defend health centers through all stages of government investigations and enforcement actions, and provide strategic counsel designed to mitigate risk before investigations arise.
Strategic Transactions & Partnerships
Community health centers are not static organizations. They grow, evolve, and increasingly rely on partnerships and structural change as tools to expand access and ensure long-term sustainability.
Our attorneys bring deep transactional experience to this work, advising on mergers of nonprofit health care organizations, residency program collaborations with teaching hospitals, and school-based health center partnerships.
We help clients structure transactions that serve their missions without compromising their financial stability or regulatory standing.
Powers Knowledge: Training for Community Health Centers
Powers Knowledge is an online learning platform designed specifically for community health centers by the attorneys and professionals at Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville.
From foundational to advanced topics, the platform provides practical training and timely updates to enhance compliance, reduce risk, and support excellence in health center operations. Learn more about Powers Knowledge here.
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