One of the required authorities for the Board of Directors is for the Board to receive information in order to evaluate the performance of the health center. This is based on question #7 within Element C (Board Authority). While this question lists several performance evaluation topics that the Board needs to evaluate, service utilization patterns is just one area. Service utilization refers to any health center trends and the types of services patients use. Examples may include, but are not limited to:

• Number of patients seen by the health center or by service line (medical, dental, behavioral health, specialty care)
• Number of no shows seen by the health center or by service line (medical, dental, behavioral health, specialty care)
• Number of patients seen via tele-health versus in-person
• Percentage of patients that use multiple service lines. For example, what is the percentage of patients who are medical patients AND use dental services? 
• Are there increases in certain types of medical diagnoses related to the service area?

While these are some examples of service utilization, data for each health center is like a fingerprint; it’s unique to the community served by the health center. Patient patterns will drive key decision making, such as increasing hours or adding new service lines or sites.