Frequently Asked Questions
Who can join Roadmap?
Roadmap is open to Free and Charitable Clinics in the U.S. At this time, clinics are being invited in phases but any interested clinic is encouraged to fill out the contact form.
Is there a cost to participate?
At this time there is no cost to participate in Roadmap.
How does this help my clinic?
Data is the first step to understanding inequities within your patient population. Disaggregating by sociodemographic characteristics can help identify areas of care that may need improvement, or demonstrate where your clinic excels! Additionally, the data from Roadmap is crucial for quality improvement activities, to track progress in clinical goals and programming, and for reporting to donors and partners. Being able to show that you are providing quality care, often on par with or surpassing private clinics, is a great way to tell your story to donors.
What are the data requirements for Roadmap?
Roadmap clinics are required to submit data on three of our Roadmap indicators once a year. The three indicators include our one required indicator for blood pressure, as well as two of your choices from our 15 measures total. We use deidentified patient data, with specific sociodemographic characteristics included, for each measure with a minimum of 70 patients preferred.
When is the data submission for Roadmap?
The data submission period is annual from January 1st to March 31st, during which you report on data from the previous calendar year.
How much time does this take?
The time commitment for roadmap is variable, depending on the data processes of your clinic currently. On average for those with EMR systems, the process takes 3-4 hours the first time. Each subsequent year is easier.
Is there an EHR system requirement?
All EHR systems are welcome! The majority of Roadmap clinics use Athena, so we have some Athena specific resources available. There are plans to add guides for other EHRs in the future to make the data submission process as smooth as possible for everyone.
Data isn’t my favorite thing, will I have help with the data submission?
Roadmap staff and fellow Roadmap members are always available for help, whether through group training calls, troubleshooting office hours, or even one-on-one consulting. Additionally, our website Clinic Resources page includes a library of resources to help with the data submission process. We offer technical guides, recorded webinars, and excel templates to help make the process as easy as possible for you and your staff.
Data is my favorite thing! What information will I be able to see?
Within the Roadmap data repository, VTOC, you have access to your own clinic reports as well as a benchmark report that compares your clinic to all the other clinics participating in Roadmap across the country – with filters to allow you to compare clinics of similar operating budget or size. New in 2024, we’ll be offering Excel templates to help you generate tables and graphs ready for donor reports or presentations. Finally, you will be able to compare against national benchmarks, including Healthy People 2030, national community health centers data, and Medicaid HMO data, to see how you compare nationally. Additional updates are being made to our data repository, so stay tuned!
Who is already participating in Roadmap?
Roadmap currently consists of over 50 Free and Charitable Clinics spanning 23 states. We also partner with state associations.
How do I join?
Email roadmap@americares.org for more information.