What if you could lead your health center with confidence instead of guesswork?
Being the CEO of a Federally Qualified Health Center means carrying responsibility that few people truly understand.
You are accountable for compliance, finances, workforce stability, access to care and a mission that matters deeply to your community, often without complete visibility into the systems that support your organization. You don't need more reports, more jargon or more advice to "just trust your team." You need clarity.
Lead Without Guessing: A CEO's Framework for Success, Growth and Financial Strength is written for health center CEOs who want to lead with confidence in an increasingly complex, high-risk environment. This book bridges the gap between compliance and leadership, helping you understand what you need to see, ask, and what you must oversee, without turning you into a CFO, billing specialist, or compliance officer.
Inside, you'll learn how to:
· Gain true financial and operational visibility without micromanaging
· Understand the signals your numbers, workforce and systems are sending
· Protect yourself, your board, and your organization through better oversight
· Make informed decisions even when funding, staffing and regulations are uncertain
· Lead calmly and confidently while safeguarding access to care and the mission you serve
This is not a technical manual. It is a practical, CEO-level guide designed to replace guesswork with understanding and fear with confidence.
When leaders have knowledge, they gain clarity.
With clarity comes confidence.
And with confidence, there is hope for your organization, your team and the communities who depend on you.
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Joel Hughes
Following several years' work in public accounting, Joel became the first CFO for a small community health center in Washington. Four years later he took on the CFO role in a larger health center and then served as CEO for an Idaho healthcare start-up. In 1999 Joel founded Community Link Consulting to develop administrative and business support systems that meet the complex needs of Federally Qualified Health Centers. Offering direct, industry-appropriate guidance, he helped clients improve their financial, operational and management functions-always with deep respect for each client's unique history and community needs. It is an unsubstantiated but likely claim that Joel has been the CFO for more community health centers than anyone in the nation.
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Karen Creveling-Hughes
Karen Creveling-Hughes is an author, CPA and former CEO of Community Link Consulting. For more than three decades, she has worked alongside health center leaders across the country, helping them connect strategy, finance, governance and organizational effectiveness to build stronger organizations.
Known for her ability to simplify complex challenges, Karen brings a practical, systems-level perspective shaped by experience in public accounting, internal audit, executive leadership and consulting.
She is passionate about helping health center leaders navigate complexity with greater clarity and confidence through writing, speaking and industry engagement. She lives in Spokane, Washington.
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Testimonial
"We would not have become who we are without the help of Community Link Consulting. Their impact on our organization was profound!"
- Ted Epperly, MD, FAAFP, President & CEO, Full Circle Health; Past President and Board Chair, American Academy of Family Physicians
