About Rural Health Clinics in Tennessee

Tennessee is home to more than 260 independent and provider-based Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Created by the federal Rural Health Clinic Services Act of 1977, RHCs are paid all-inclusive rates to perform qualified primary and preventive health services for Medicare and Medicaid patients in rural areas.

In Tennessee, nearly 22% of the population lives in non-metro areas - most of whom are Medicare and Medicaid patients. Rural Health Clinics are an important part of our healthcare safety net. In fact, nearly 40% of Tennessee's rural communities do not have a hospital or community health center but do have a RHC.

The mission of the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Network is “Improve the health and wellbeing of rural Tennesseans by strengthening and supporting the Rural Health Clinics who serve them.” Managed by Rural Health Association of Tennessee, the RHC Network closely monitors rural policy issues and provide support when changes may affect RHCs. We also provide annual educational workshops to keep RHCs informed of policy changes, billing and coding, evaluation and management. 

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Top Resources for RHCs

• National Association of Rural Health Clinics
• CMS - Rural Resource Center
• National Rural Resource Center
• National Office of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH)
• Rural Health Info Hub (RHCs)

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $300,000, under Award # 1 D06RH49185‐01‐00 with 0% percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov. 

Public Health Emergency Unwinding for RHCs

• TennCare Renewals information for Partners
• COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit
• Rural Communities Toolkit for increasing vaccine confidence
• COVID-19 Resources from National Rural Health Association
• COVID-19 and Rural Health Clinics - National Association of Rural Health Clinics

This service was supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support, under GR-21-73441. The contents of this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you suspect fraud, waste, or abuse of these program funds, please notify a RHA representative and/or follow instructions linked here.