Integrating Medication Abortion into Primary Care

RHAP provides technical assistance to primary care clinicians and health centers – especially Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) – looking to integrate medication abortion into their practice. We offer:

  • Guidance in developing and revising policies and procedures and ensuring appropriate coding and billing
  • Experts to facilitate values clarification workshops, medication abortion trainings, early pregnancy loss workshops, and more
  • Support in developing a multidisciplinary change team to champion medication abortion implementation efforts
  • Resources like patient education materials, consent forms, and protocol and electronic health record (EHR) templates
  • Connections to trusted experts for legal advice or information, as well as brokers to obtain wrap-around malpractice coverage
  • Access to a community of clinicians who have also worked to integrate medication abortion care into their health centers

 

Getting Started with Abortion Care in Primary Care:

These are key steps and considerations when changing practice and introducing new abortion services in primary care settings. Check out our Toolkit and the other resources noted for further information and support. 

1.  Organizing a Planning Committee

2. Connecting with Key Stakeholders

3. Gaining Staff Support: Host values clarification, lunch and learns, or medication abortion CE workshops

4. Developing Clinical Policies and Protocols

5. Organizing Clinic Logistics: ordering, scheduling and clinic flow, on-call clinicians, pharmacy

6. Financial Considerations: Separation of Federal Funds, Billing, Accounting, and Malpractice

7. Legal Considerations

8. Community and Peer Support: Join the Network

9. Telehealth Abortion Care

 

Check out the resources below to get started. Contact us at program@reproductiveaccess.org if you have any questions about providing medication abortion care in your health center. We are here to help!

 

Integrating Medication Abortion Care Toolkit: a guide for laying the groundwork to integrate medication abortion into a primary care setting

 

 

FAQs: FAQ guide to address staff frequently asked questions and concerns about providing abortion care in an FQHC

 

 

 

  Financial Guidance: How to build a cost allocation plan that complies with federal restrictions on abortion provision

 

Resources for FQHCs on providing reproductive health care: federal law requirements and sample policies and procedures drafted by law firm Feldesman Tucker Leifer and Fidell

 

 

Guidelines for general ledger record-keeping for FQHCs: recording-keeping guidelines to support FQHCs providing abortion services 

 

 

How to order mifepristone: a step-by-step guide to order mifepristone in the US

 

 

 

Clinical protocol for providing medication abortion: clinical protocol for providing medication abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol 

 

 

 

Values Clarification Workshop: curriculum on assessing attitudes and beliefs regarding issues surrounding abortion care

 

 

Coding Document: guidance on billing codes for medication abortion care

 

 

 

EHR Template: EHR template for documenting medication abortion care

 

 

 

Consent Form: consent form to use when providing medication abortion

 

 

 

Staff Attitude Survey: survey tool to assess staff attitudes toward abortion care

 

 

 

Patient Attitude Survey: survey tool to assess patients’ attitudes toward abortion care

 

 

 

Abortion Administrative Guide: guidance on setting up administrative systems to provide abortion care in sites that receive Title X, Section 330, and other federal funding

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