PHC

What PHC does

Primary Health Care, Inc. (PHC) is a private nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1981 and headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The organization delivers integrated medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, women's health and midwifery, pediatrics, HIV/STI care ("The Project"), medication-assisted treatment (MAT), longevity care, homeless support services, and school-based clinics through owned facilities in Ames, Des Moines (multiple sites including East Side, West Side, B. Engebretsen/South, University, and PHC at Mercy), and Marshalltown. Patient-facing technology centers on the Epic-based MyChart portal (hosted by OCHIN) for telehealth, scheduling, secure messaging, test results, and prescription management. PHC also participates in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program for low-cost outpatient medications.

PHC's business model is multi-stream. Patient services revenue is generated through billing Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, supplemented by a sliding fee scale that ensures access for uninsured and underinsured patients. A second revenue stream flows from the 340B pharmacy program, which generates spread income on discounted drug procurement. The third stream is the HRSA Health Center Program grant (42 U.S.C. 254b), which provides federal operating support tied to FQHC status and confers deemed Public Health Service employee status for malpractice coverage. A fourth stream consists of philanthropic contributions, including the annual "Together for Health" fundraiser. The customer base is highly fragmented across underserved populations, Medicaid/Medicare beneficiaries, families and children, and homeless or at-risk individuals in Central Iowa, with no single-payer or commercial concentration.

In CY2025, PHC served 38,382 patients across 129,757 encounters using 367 employees, including 75 licensed clinicians. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by CEO Nathan Simpson (appointed November 2024), with additional C-suite transitions in late 2024 (COO Julie Raasch, CAO Stephany Balow) and March 2026 (CMO Dr. Megan Srinivas). PHC holds Joint Commission National Quality Approval, is an IowaHealth+ network member, and is recognized by NACHC. There is no parent company, private equity sponsorship, or publicly traded equity; the entity is a 501(c) nonprofit funded through operating revenue, federal grants, and donations.

Name

PHC

Legal name

Primary Health Care, Inc.

Website

https://phciowa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Primary Health Care is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center founded in 1981, delivering integrated medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and supportive services to over 38,000 underserved patients annually across clinics in Ames, Des Moines, and Marshalltown, Iowa, on a sliding fee scale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Center Services (Federally Qualified Health Center)

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111), Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/County Primary Care Clinics (HLAFAGAI)

Keywords

• Community health services
• Primary medical care
• Dental and behavioral health
• Sliding fee healthcare
• Pharmacy and HIV services

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Patient Services Revenue: Revenue from patient services including medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and supportive services. Billed to Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, and self-pay patients on sliding fee scale.
2. 340B Pharmacy Program: Revenue generated through the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program, providing discounted medications to eligible patients.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Annual 'Together for Health' fundraising event and general donations supporting expanded access to care. The 2025 event raised nearly $40,000.
4. HRSA Health Center Program Grant: Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) grant funding under 42 U.S.C. 254b as a Health Center Program grantee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Primary Health Care (PHC) is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) delivering integrated medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, women's health/midwifery, HIV care, homeless support, and school-based clinic services across Central Iowa. Patients access care through owned clinics in Ames, Des Moines, and Marshalltown, supported by telehealth visits, the MyChart patient portal, and a sliding fee scale that ensures no patient is turned away for inability to pay.

Product overview

Primary Health Care (PHC) is a Federally Qualified Health Center offering an integrated network of healthcare services across Central Iowa. The organization provides medical care (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics), dental services, behavioral health, pharmacy, women's health/midwifery, and supportive services including HIV care (The Project of PHC), homeless support, and school-based clinics. Services are coordinated through a Medical Home model, allowing patients to access multiple services within one connected system. PHC serves over 38,000 patients annually through clinics in Ames, Des Moines, and Marshalltown, Iowa, operating since 1981.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Care (Family Medicine / Primary Care) Primary care services including family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics for patients of all ages, offering preventive care, chronic condition management, and same-day visits.
• Dental Services Comprehensive dental care including cleanings, exams, fillings, extractions, fluoride treatments, sealants, and oral health education, with services for both children and adults.
• Behavioral Health Mental health and substance use services including therapy, counseling, psychiatric medication support, and crisis intervention for children, teens, and adults.
• Pharmacy Services On-site pharmacy providing prescription refills, transfers, medication management for chronic conditions, clinical pharmacist consultations, and access to 340B Drug Pricing Program for eligible patients.
• Women's Health & Midwifery Prenatal care, midwife-led delivery support, OB-GYN services, postpartum care, lactation support, family planning, contraception, and Title X services.
• Pediatrics Pediatric care for infants, children, and teens including well-child visits, vaccines, sick care, sports physicals, behavioral health support, and school-based clinics.
• Longevity Care Healthy aging and longevity care for adults including preventive wellness visits, chronic condition management, medication review, cognitive health support, and Medicare primary care services.
• Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Opioid use disorder treatment combining medication (buprenorphine/naloxone or naltrexone) with counseling, recovery support, and harm reduction services.
• The Project of PHC (HIV/STI Care) HIV prevention and care services including testing, treatment, STI care, and supportive services for patients with HIV.
• Homeless Support Services Supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness including Centralized Intake, case management, and connection to housing resources.
• School-Based Clinics Healthcare services provided at select school locations for eligible students and families, offering convenient access to medical care.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38,382 patients served and 129,757 encounters in calendar year 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025PHC participated in a five-month Design Sprint with NACHC and the Iowa Community HUB focused on improving the screening and referral process for patients with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Teresa Fisher, RN and Lashelle Goode, ARNP represented PHC, presenting their work at a national event in Bethesda, Maryland.
• Story County United WayminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Provided a grant enabling PHC team members to attend Centering Healthcare Institute training in Chicago to implement the CenteringPregnancy group prenatal care program at the Ames clinic.
• Iowa Community HUBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership connecting PHC patients to community programs supporting health beyond the clinic, including help with food, transportation, housing, and wellness. PHC providers can send referrals to the Hub which coordinates services and follow-up.
• IowaHealth+ NetworkcoreOthersAffiliated network of Iowa health centers. PHC operates as an IowaHealth Center member.
• The Joint CommissioncoreOthersAccrediting body providing National Quality Approval to PHC, indicating compliance with national standards for healthcare quality and safety.
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)coreOthersFederal agency overseeing the Health Center Program. PHC is a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 254b, and deemed a Public Health Service employee under 42 U.S.C. 233 (g)-(n) for malpractice liability coverage.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Broadlawns Medical Center: Public hospital authority in Des Moines providing safety-net primary care, behavioral health, and dental services to under- and uninsured patients. Operates in the same Central Iowa market and serves overlapping FQHC-eligible populations, making it the closest local comparable to PHC.
• People's Community Health Clinic: Federally Qualified Health Center in Waterloo, Iowa delivering integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health services on a sliding-fee scale. Same FQHC business model, payer mix, and mission profile as PHC across the state of Iowa.
• Community Health Centers of Southeastern Iowa (CHC/SEIA): Regional FQHC serving southeastern Iowa with multi-site primary care, dental, and behavioral health on a sliding-fee scale. Direct competitor for HRSA funding and Iowa Medicaid contracts with structurally similar operations to PHC.
• Cherry Health: Large Michigan-based FQHC operating primary care, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy across multiple counties. Same FQHC funding model, integrated-service design, and sliding-fee scale as PHC but at a meaningfully larger geographic scale.
• Community Health Center, Inc. (Connecticut): Federally Qualified Health Center operating more than a dozen sites across Connecticut with integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health services on a sliding-fee scale. Closely mirrors PHC's operating model and is a useful benchmark for multi-site FQHC scale economics.

Emerging players

• Proteus Inc. Iowa-based nonprofit community health program focused on migrant and underserved agricultural populations. Operates overlapping primary care and outreach services in the same Central Iowa catchment, reaching patients PHC also serves via its homeless and sliding-fee programs.

Broad incumbents

• MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center: Large regional health system headquartered in Des Moines. PHC even operates a co-located clinic ('PHC at Mercy'), and MercyOne serves many of the same Medicaid/Medicare populations with broader hospital and specialty capabilities that compete with PHC's referrals.
• UnityPoint Health: Major Iowa-based health system with primary care clinics across Central Iowa, including the Des Moines metro. Overlaps with PHC on primary care and behavioral health, and its payer contracting scale shapes Medicaid rates that PHC also depends on.

Others

• Iowa Primary Care Association: State-level association representing Iowa's FQHCs, including PHC. Provides policy advocacy, training, and operational support that mirrors how PHC interfaces with NACHC at the national level.
• National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC): National advocacy and training body for FQHCs and a direct partner of PHC (co-designed the osteoarthritis Design Sprint). Comparable ecosystem participant that defines the operating environment for community health centers like PHC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2H-bQ8WzBiHAnb4hciTgpg/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/phciowa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/primary-health-care-iowa
• Instagraminstagram.com/phciowa
• TikToktiktok.com/@phciowa
• Xx.com/phciowa

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PHC