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EVENT | January 19, 2027
January 2027 Uniform Guidance regulation training
Join us for a practical and engaging virtual training of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200) — the cornerstone of federal grant compliance. This training is designed to help nonprofit and government professionals understand federal grant regulations and how to apply them effectively and avoid common pitfalls in managing federal awards. Led by experienced trainers with years of auditing and consulting expertise, this session blends regulatory review with real-world examples and actionable insights. Whether you’re new to federal
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UDS reporting: Turn compliance into strategic value
For federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), the Uniform Data System (UDS) can be a cumbersome burden — a backward-facing, compliance-driven reporting task that ties up critical assets every year between New Year’s and Valentine’s Day, costing personnel hours and operational efficiency. But for health centers interested in a data-driven future, UDS reporting can present a unique opportunity to modernize and even gain critical insights. A smarter approach to UDS reporting leads to enhanced federal compliance for FQHCs, plus improved behind-the-scenes efficiency and improved patient outcomes. What is UDS reporting in healthcare and how is it used? UDS is an annual reporting system through which FQHCs report their clinical and financial data to federal regulators, enabling authorities to monitor healthcare trends, allocate resources effectively and further data-driven decision-making about community needs. Federal UDS reporting is often contemporaneous with analogous reporting to state agencies, on similar or complimentary benchmarks. UDS data is also used to evaluate the performance of health centers, improve standards of care and identify centers of excellence. By providing insights into disease patterns, treatment costs and patient demographics, UDS serves as a vital tool for managing and tracking critical data from healthcare access points nationwide. Traditionally, UDS data has been used primarily for monitoring purposes, with limited direct consequences for inaccuracies or deviations from the norm. However, the landscape is shifting, and there are now more reasons than ever for FQHCs to insist on accurate data, both from an accountability perspective and because of the potential high value of the insights offered through the data. During the COVID-19 crisis, certain grant awards were directly tied to the total number of patients served, as reported through UDS. This allocation method may continue into the future, underscoring the importance of accurate and comprehensive data reporting for FQHCs seeking to secure vital funding and resources. Today, UDS is commonly used to compare and contrast health centers, particularly along the lines of staffing ratios, quality scores, and financial efficiency. It’s become more common for lenders, funders, and regulators to consult UDS data as a way to benchmark FQHCs against one another. Additionally, savvy Boards of Directors often consult their health center’s public data, monitor year-to-date reporting, and seek to engage executives to understand how (and why) data is trending. The challenges behind meeting the data reporting requirements With a strict reporting deadline of February 15, many FQHCs rush at the beginning of the year to allocate resources to collect the necessary data and organize the reporting. If centers haven’t been checking data quality and outcomes throughout the year, it can make for a stressful Valentine’s Day. To effectively address the challenges associated with UDS reporting, it is crucial to first identify the specific pain points within an FQHC’s data collection and management operations. Common hurdles include: Lack of dedicated resources: Many FQHCs don’t have the resources to dedicate personnel to the UDS reporting process. Often, data entry and reporting responsibilities are assigned to staff members whose training is in other areas, leading to potential oversights or inaccuracies. Data silos and fragmentation: In some cases, data may be scattered across multiple systems or departments within an FQHC, preventing a comprehensive view of the organization’s operations and patient population. Technical complexities: Navigating the intricacies of EHR systems, financial software and the UDS reporting platform itself can pose significant technical challenges in getting systems to generate the correct data sets, particularly for organizations with limited IT resources or expertise. Manual data entry and error-prone processes: Reliance on manual data entry and lack of automated processes is a time-consuming process, tying up valuable resources on tedious work that can also introduce human error, compromising the accuracy and integrity of the reported data. Lack of staff training and engagement: Inadequate training and limited staff engagement can lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations of data collection and reporting requirements, resulting in inaccurate submissions that don’t capture the full quality of an FQHC’s services. Changing requirements: UDS regulations change every year, meaning FQHCs need to annually invest additional resources into keeping up with the latest updates. Identifying these pain points can help FQHCs develop targeted strategies and leverage available resources to address the specific challenges they face, paving the way for more efficient and accurate UDS reporting and a greater benefit for the FQHCs themselves. Building a more effective UDS reporting process How can FQHCs ease the burden of UDS reporting? And what modifications can be put into place to turn the onerous process of data collection and management into a source of added value for the organization? FQHCs can simplify the UDS reporting process and position themselves for success in an increasingly data-driven marketplace by focusing on five critical areas for improvement: Creating a data governance committee: Establish a cross-functional data governance committee that brings together stakeholders from various departments, including clinical, operational, financial and quality teams. This committee should be responsible for overseeing how data is coded, collected and managed, identifying areas for improvement and driving organizational alignment. Technical enhancementsto the system: Conduct a comprehensive analysis of data workflows and map the journey of data from its point of capture to its ultimate destination within the reporting systems. This exercise can help identify system limitations, bottlenecks, redundancies and opportunities to streamline processes. Monthly data analysis: Pull and discuss data every month in order to identify issues and squash them early. Data can be compared against prior-year trends and, in the case of variance, can be tracked and analyzed to determine why the variance is occurring. It’s much easier to proactively address issues than to try troubleshooting late in the year with the February 15 deadline fast approaching. Data quality audits: Implement regular data quality audits to validate the accuracy and completeness of the data being collected and reported. These audits can involve sampling techniques, cross-referencing multiple data sources and leveraging data analytics tools to identify discrepancies or anomalies. Staff training and engagement: Invest in ongoing staff training and engagement initiatives to ensure that all stakeholders understand the importance of accurate data collection and reporting. Additionally, by identifying early in the process who is responsible for what, more tasks can be managed in a timely fashion, and everyone will be working from the same playbook from the start. By addressing these key issues, organizations can begin to transform their once-dreaded UDS workload into a valuable chance for growth and operational improvement. Use UDS data reporting to spark growth Follow these steps so your FQHC can successfully harness data to its strategic advantage. Make UDS a monthly priority by reviewing it regularly with leadership and the board. Include UDS in routine reporting alongside financial and clinical metrics. Benchmark against peers to identify unusual trends or potential issues. Compare UDS data to internal reports and clinician insights to uncover discrepancies. Establish clear data governance by defining a source of truth for different needs across competing systems such as UDS, EHR, payroll, accounting and Population Health System. Treat UDS as an ongoing process rather than a once-a-year burden to drive operational improvements, efficiency and growth opportunities. Turning UDS reporting into value UDS can provide more than just peace of mind for your organization. By shifting to a value-producing approach rather than a compliance-only focus, your organization can derive significant benefits from the annual exercise. Automating and integrating data to improve operational efficiency Manually pulling data together is a time-intensive process that ties up key resources just to meet regulatory deadlines. But shifting to an automated data collection system and implementing integration tools that can pull data from all of your systems can minimize data handling while improving accuracy. This provides value by reducing preparation time and staff costs , while also freeing up resources to focus on patient care or operational improvements. Additionally, real-time access to your data can be used to monitor performance on an ongoing basis, not just during UDS prep time. Turning UDS preparation into a continuous quality improvement cycle UDS preparation at many health centers is reactive, with efforts focused merely on submitting a complete product or on avoiding UDS quality-control questions in a rush to get the process done. But by using the process as a catalyst for ongoing quality improvement, you can have regular visibility into actionable data to monitor improvement in clinical care, financial reporting and operational processes, leading to better outcomes for your organization. Using UDS data to enhance patient care with higher-quality reporting Your data can help create actionable insights that can improve the quality of the care you provide. Your preparations already include reporting on standard clinical quality measures, which matter to funders, your community and — most of all — your patients. UDS provides a valuable opportunity for leadership to monitor these quality measures on an ongoing basis and take steps to improve them before undesirable trends become entrenched. Don’t just consider these isolated reporting activities — this data can be used to make real-time decisions. Improving quality metrics is often tied to reimbursement under value-based care models, and may generate quality incentive payments from payers, so your bottom line benefits as well. Improving staff efficiency and engagement through process standardization UDS preparation can overburden staff, leading to burnout, inefficiency and potential reporting errors. But a standardized process with streamlined workflows for data collection, review and submission can help ensure smoother operations, reduced redundancy and less stressed-out staff. Involve clinical staff in audit readiness programs so they can grasp the link between checking boxes in the EHR, day-to-day care delivery and quality metrics that are ultimately reported publicly. This also leads to a more proactive quality-first culture, decreasing the need for a last-minute scramble to gather and process relevant data come February. Ultimately, UDS offers your health center a wealth of opportunities. It’s up to your organization to determine what that might mean for your operations. How much of a role UDS plays in your day-to-day may differ among organizations, but whatever your desired level of involvement is, it’s important to choose a vision, document it and work toward implementation. Read more 4 workforce strategies for FQHC financial health Improving rural healthcare RCM with data analytics The tech infrastructure that can drive your rural health transformation
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Enterprise risk management: A strategy for turning risk visibility into business wins
Learn how an enterprise risk management strategy can help your business adapt to an unpredictable environment, improve performance and even find new growth opportunities.
Reach out to our risk advisory services team
Connect with Wipfli’s risk advisory professionals to get proactive support for mitigating risk, strengthening controls and building resilience.
FAQ
Risk advisory services help organizations identify and manage threats to their compliance, operations or reputation. With risk advisory support, organizations get specialized guidance on building risk management frameworks, strengthening internal controls and meeting regulatory compliance.
Wipfli provides comprehensive risk management advisory services, including supporting your organization with:
- Regulatory compliance risk, including services for internal audits, PCI, ISO 27001, HITRUST, financial risk consulting and quality assurance reviews.
- Governance, risk and controls, including support for designing and implementing enterprise risk‑management frameworks, data privacy, GDPR and board-level governance support.
- Internal controls, including support for SOX, internal audits and IT general and application controls.
- Operational risk management services that can guide you with policy, procedure and program development.
- Technology and IT risk, including cybersecurity assessments, data privacy reviews, SOC examinations (including SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC for cybersecurity and SOC for supply chain), digital forensics, AI risk management, IT general controls, application controls and IT audits.
- Forensic advisory and fraud investigation, including services for forensic accounting, digital forensics, fraud investigations, litigation support, damage quantification and dispute management.
Wipfli offers specialized risk advisory services in areas including:
- Enterprise risk
- Operational risk
- Technology risk
- AI risk
- Cybersecurity risk
- IT risk
- Compliance risk
- Regulatory risk
- Governance, risk and controls
Wipfli can also help you manage risk in highly regulated industries, including financial institutions, financial services, construction, tribal governments and nonprofits.
Wipfli integrates a wide range of risk assessments into our offerings, including:
- Regulatory and compliance risk assessments, such as HITRUST gap assessments and ISO 27001 readiness.
- Technology risk assessments, such as SOC readiness and technology readiness assessments
- Operational and internal controls risk assessments
- SOX (Sarbanes‑Oxley) compliance assessments
- Internal compliance reviews
We also help manage your technology risk with cybersecurity threat assessments and health checks that help you determine how you measure up to frameworks like NIST, as well as identify potential gaps in your cybersecurity program.
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