Monitoring the Health Care Safety Net: Developing Data-Driven Capabilities to Support Policymaking

Health care organizations are now emphasizing evidence-based medicine, which involves using research findings on the effectiveness of various practices to help make treatment decisions for patients. A parallel practice that is receiving increased attention is using data and the findings from data analysis to inform the policymaking process. The data-driven policy framework presented here involves an explicit statement of priorities and policy questions to be answered by new and existing data and provides general guidance for using data to support the process of developing policy options for the health care safety net

Creating Equity Reports: A Guide for Hospitals

Offers a framework for equity reporting -- identifying ethnic and racial disparities in hospitals and ways to reduce them -- including implementation, data collection, quality measures, and utilization. Reviews case studies and lessons learned

Urgent care centers in the U.S.: Findings from a national survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Due to long waits for primary care appointments and extended emergency department wait times, newer sites for episodic primary care services, such as urgent care centers, have developed. However, little is known about these centers. The purpose of this study is to provide information about the organization and functioning of urgent care centers based on a nationally representative U.S. sample.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a mail survey with telephone follow-up of urgent care centers identified via health insurers' websites, internet searches, and a trade association mailing list. Descriptive statistics are presented.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Urgent care centers are open beyond typical office hours, and their scope of services is broader than that of many primary care offices. While these characteristics are similar to hospital emergency departments, such centers employ significant numbers of family physicians. The payer distribution is similar to that of primary care, and physicians' average salaries are comparable to those for family physicians overall. Urgent care centers report early adoption of electronic health records, though our findings are qualified by a lack of strictly comparable data.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While their hours and scope of services reflect some characteristics of emergency departments, urgent care centers are in many ways similar to family medicine practices. As the health care system evolves to cope with expanding demands in the face of limited resources, it is unclear how patients with episodic care needs will be treated, and what role urgent care centers will play in their care.</p

Responses of Massachusetts hospitals to a state mandate to collect race, ethnicity and language data from patients: a qualitative study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A Massachusetts regulation implemented in 2007 has required all acute care hospitals to report patients' race, ethnicity and preferred language using standardized methodology based on self-reported information from patients. This study assessed implementation of the regulation and its impact on the use of race and ethnicity data in performance monitoring and quality improvement within hospitals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with executives from a representative sample of 28 Massachusetts hospitals in 2009.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The number of hospitals using race, ethnicity and language data internally beyond refining interpreter services increased substantially from 11 to 21 after the regulation. Thirteen of these hospitals were utilizing patient race and ethnicity data to identify disparities in quality performance measures for a variety of clinical processes and outcomes, while 16 had developed patient services and community outreach programs based on findings from these data. Commonly reported barriers to data utilization include small numbers within categories, insufficient resources, information system requirements, and lack of direction from the state.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The responses of Massachusetts hospitals to this new state regulation indicate that requiring the collection of race, ethnicity and language data can be an effective method to promote performance monitoring and quality improvement, thereby setting the stage for federal standards and incentive programs to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of health care.</p

Assessment of the Content, Design, and Dissemination of the Real Warriors Campaign, Summary

The Real Warriors Campaign (RWC), launched in 2009, is a multimedia program designed to promote resilience, facilitate recovery, and support the reintegration of returning servicemembers, veterans, and their families. This report presents findings based upon an independent assessment of the campaign. It identifies which aspects of the campaign adhere to best practices for health communication campaigns and how the campaign could improve both its content and its dissemination activities. The assessment included an expert panel which identified best practices for health communication campaigns and rated the RWC according to those practices, telephone discussions with organizations that partnered with the campaign, a content analysis of the campaign's website, an analysis of communication measures collected by the campaign, and a review of relevant documents describing campaign design and development. Findings suggested that the RWC shows promise in its ability to reach its intended target audiences and achieve its goals, but needs to invest in mechanisms that allow it to be nimble, monitoring the needs of the target populations and adjusting the campaign activities to meet those needs

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Access to and Use of Health Care Services, 1977 to 1996

Abstract available at publisher's web site