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This FQHC just proved digital transformation isn’t just for big hospitals.
Sun River Health serves 245,000 patients across New York. They’re federally qualified, which means they see everyone, regardless of ability to pay.
Last week they revealed something remarkable:
A complete cloud communications overhaul that’s actually working.
No more dropped calls during critical patient conversations.
No more staff juggling multiple systems to find information.
No more patients waiting on hold because the system crashed.
Here’s what they achieved:
• Unified access across all 40+ locations
• Real-time analytics for instant decision-making
• HIPAA-compliant security without sacrificing usability
• Significant cost reduction (yes, they’re saving money)
But here’s what really matters:
While Congress debates whether to maintain the $4.6 billion in FQHC funding, and California prepares for potential $30 billion in Medi-Cal cuts, Sun River just proved something critical.
FQHCs don’t need sympathy. They need smart technology investments.
💡 The lesson?
When safety-net providers modernize their infrastructure, they don’t just survive funding uncertainties, they thrive despite them.
Every FQHC struggling with outdated phone systems, fragmented communications, and rising operational costs should be studying this playbook.
Because if an FQHC serving nearly a quarter-million patients can transform their entire communications infrastructure while maintaining care quality, what’s stopping the rest?
The future of community health isn’t about waiting for more funding.
It’s about maximizing impact with smart technology choices today.
♻️ Repost if FQHCs deserve the same digital tools as major health systems
👉 Follow me, Jonathan Govette, for daily, real-time updates on healthcare technology and business news. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangovette/
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Author:
CEO/Co-Founder @ Oatmeal Health | AI Lung Cancer Screening | Almost Became a Doctor | Engineer | Follow to Share What I’ve Learned Along the Way
I help patients get the care they need earlier, preventing late-stage cancer.
That’s been the throughline across three companies and almost 20 years in healthcare. At ReferralMD, we fixed broken referral networks so patients didn’t fall through the cracks. At Oatmeal Health, it’s lung cancer: building the diagnostic and screening infrastructure so the 85% of cases caught too late get caught early instead.
Today as CEO of Oatmeal Health, I lead a team embedding AI into radiology workflows to turn routine lung CT scans into reimbursable cancer risk assessments. We partner with FQHCs to reach underserved communities, and with health systems and payers to make early detection economically sustainable. Think HeartFlow or Cleerly, but for lungs.
Between companies, I advised at Techstars and Plug and Play, mentoring founders building in digital health. That experience shaped how I think about what separates companies that ship from companies that stall: distribution, reimbursement, and clinical trust, not just technology.
I’m a CancerX alumnus, a 3x healthcare founder, and someone who believes the biggest problems in cancer aren’t scientific. They’re operational.
We’re hiring mission-driven builders at Oatmeal Health. If you want to work on something that matters, reach out.
When I’m not working, I’m traveling, mentoring, and keeping up with one very energetic husky. 🐾
Substack – The Oatmeal Bite:
Millions of patients get less care because of who they are, where they live, or how they look. I’m fighting to change that. CEO @OatmealHealth, a startup built for the underserved. The Oatmeal Bite: intel for clinicians, investors, and advocates.
Jonathan Govette
CEO of Oatmeal Health
Substack:
https://oatmealhealthjonathangovette.substack.com/
