Ask an Expert: How can health centers best prepare for an upcoming operational site visit?

Ask An Expert with Vance Farrow

Question: How can health centers best prepare for an upcoming operational site visit?

Health centers best prepare for an Operational Site Visit (OSV) by treating compliance as ongoing rather than a last-minute scramble, using official HRSA tools, organizing thoroughly, and simulating the review process!

OSVs occur roughly mid-period of performance and assess requirements via the Health Center Program Compliance Manual and Site Visit Protocol. Review both regularly, along with Site Visit Resources, sampling guides, interview resources, and the required-documents checklist with naming conventions. You may also watch this video, Five Tips for a Successful Operational Site Visit.

Key steps:

• Start early (HRSA notification often occurs 4–6 months ahead). Assign an OSV lead and departmental owners; involve the board immediately (onsite findings are common and often hard to fix quickly).
• Consider conducting a mock OSV: document review, chart/claims audits, staff interviews, and policy-practice alignment. Focus on high-risk areas (i.e., scope of project (Form 5A/5B), sliding-fee implementation, credentialing/privileging files, board minutes/oversight, QI/QA, contracts, and billing).
• Organize documentation rigorously (electronic submissions will be preferred). Submit required samples and files via the secure portal at least 2 weeks before the visit, following the official naming convention.
• Train staff for consistent interviews that match written policies and actual operations. Use the Onsite Interviews and Interactions Resource to anticipate topics.
• Address any existing conditions promptly. After the visit, use the Compliance Resolution Opportunity (CRO) help page if needed.

By aligning daily operations with the Compliance Manual, organizing evidence per the SVP, and rehearsing the process, health centers maximize the likelihood of a smooth visit with minimal or no conditions. For the most current details, always check the official BPHC/HRSA Site Visit Protocol and resources pages, as processes and the SVP evolve.

Vance Farrow is the Healthcare Industry Specialist for the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development. He is responsible for supporting the recruitment, retention and expansion of healthcare professionals and businesses to strengthen the sector’s infrastructure within Nevada.

Mr. Farrow has received numerous gubernatorial appointments including Executive Commissioner for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, in addition to the Governor’s Task Forces addressing Nevada Broadband, Graduate Medical Education, and Medicaid Innovation and Patient Protection Committees.

Prior to his position with the Nevada GOED, Mr. Farrow served as Chief of the Bureau of Cancer and Chronic Disease within the District of Columbia Department of Health, and has also served as Chief Operating Officer for an FQHC. He began consulting for MSCG in 2017 and has been reviewing and consulting with FQHCs and Lookalikes for more than 20 years.