Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

National Longitudinal Survey Of Public Health Systems: Comparative Report Of 2012 Results, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

The third wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems was fielded in 2012 in a nationally-representative cohort of local communities. The survey measures the availability of 20 recommended public health activities in the community, the range of organizations that participate in performing each activity, and the perceived effectiveness of each activity. Prior waves of the survey were fielded in 1998 and 2006. Local health officials report data for this survey and receive a customized report of results that compare data for their community with national norms and with "peer groups" of similar communities. This document provides an …

Use Of The County Health Rankings By Local Health Departments In Florida, 2010 - 2011, Nancy L. Winterbauer, Bonita Sorensen, James B. Tidwell

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

This paper describes how local health departments (LHDs) in Florida used the County Health Rankings over the first two years of their release (2010 – 2011). We surveyed LHD leadership to describe if, how and to what extent the Rankings were used by Florida’s 67 LHDs to improve the health of their communities and describe changes in use from the 2010 to the 2011 release. Our results indicate substantial use of the Rankings by Florida’s LHDs, particularly as applied to community health assessments, staff education, as a starting point for examining other indicators and databases, and in grant applications. From …

Effectiveness And Challenges For Implementing Quality Improvement Activities In Nebraska’S Local Health Departments, Li-Wu Chen, Anh Nguyen, Janelle J. Jacobson, Diptee Ojha, David Palm

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

What is already known on this topic? Although the implementation strategies and effectiveness of quality improvement (QI) activities have been examined extensively for many industries, including the health care sector, very few studies have focused on QI activities in the public health context.

What is added by this report? The study results indicated that Nebraska’s LHDs still face significant barriers for QI implementation, including low capacity, knowledge gaps, inadequate resources, and low institutional QI maturity.

What are the implications for public health practice/policy/research? Policy makers and LHDs should provide QI training and external QI expertise to LHD staff and better …

Mandated Activities And Limited Decision-Making Authority Among Local Public Health Officials, Betty Bekemeier, Anthony L-T Chen, Nami Kawakyu

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Local public health department leaders face difficult decisions regarding the allocation of increasingly scarce resources, yet existing evidence for public health decision making, while still limited, is underutilized by public health officials. Participants in this study described processes regarding resource allocation in response to local budget cuts as based largely on legally mandated activities and categorical funding and perceived these factors as limiting much of their agency-level decision making to a relatively small portion of flexible funding. In the limited areas in which they perceived themselves to have flexibility, they generally considered their agencies to have very little capacity for …

Evidence-Based Decision Making In Local Health Departments, Linda Weiss, Collette Sosnowy, Christopher M. Maylahn, Nancy J. Katagiri, Sylvia Pirani

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Evidence-based decision making (EBDM) represents an important strategy to increase efficacy and efficiency of public health programs and practice. There is insufficient information on the application of EBDM among local health departments (LHDs). This qualitative study examined use of EBDM in New York State (NYS) LHDs and factors facilitating and impeding its adoption through interviews and focus groups with 47 LHD commissioners, health directors, and other upper-level staff. Findings suggest variability in application of EBDM in NYS LHDs. A number of internal factors (e.g., staff capacity, organizational culture) and external factors (e.g., policy environment, appropriate and …

From The Frontier: Translating Research To Practice, Paul C. Erwin

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

The purpose of this invited article is to describe the process of translating research into public health practice. An example is provided, showing how questions arose in the practice setting, a researcher was identified to help answer the questions, and findings from the research were applied in the practice setting. In this example, Dr. Lea LaFave (Community Health Institute/JSI in New Hampshire) worked with Dr. Danielle Varda (Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado/ Denver, School of Public Affairs) to use social network analysis to better understand a network of coalitions focused on underage substance abuse. The social network analysis …

Public Health Return On Investment: Making The Case, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

Fiscal pressures and policy imperatives have created a need for rigorous economic analyses of public health programs and policies. ROI analyses can reveal whether the benefits of public health strategies justify their costs, who realizes these benefits and costs, and under what circumstances.

Public Health Return On Investment: Making The Case, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Fiscal pressures and policy imperatives have created a need for rigorous economic analyses of public health programs and policies. ROI analyses can reveal whether the benefits of public health strategies justify their costs, who realizes these benefits and costs, and under what circumstances.

Comparative Effectiveness Research And Patient Centered Outcomes Research In Public Health Settings: Design, Analysis, And Funding Considerations, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

The principles and methods of CER and PCOR have developed primarily with therapeutics in mind, but they must also be applied to the study of public health programs, policies, and delivery systems. This session surveys the emerging field, and provides examples of CER/PCOR methods applied in public health settings using practice-based research networks (PBRNs).

Comparative Effectiveness Research And Patient-Centered Outcomes Research In Public Health Settings: Design, Analysis And Funding Considerations, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

The principles and methods of CER and PCOR have developed primarily with therapeutics in mind, but they must also be applied to the study of public health programs, policies, and delivery systems. This session surveys the emerging field, and provides examples of CER/PCOR methods applied in public health settings using practice-based research networks (PBRNs).

Data Acquisition Plan For The Public Health Multi-Network Practice And Outcome Variation (Mprove) Study, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

This brief details the steps to be followed in obtaining and compiling data on the core (and optional) measures of public health service delivery for the MPROVE study. MPROVE data will need to be obtained from several different sources. Data for some measures already exist in administrative records, surveillance systems, or other sources maintained by the local and state public health agencies that participate in your PBRN. For other measures, it may be necessary to obtain data from other agencies that collaborate with the public health agencies in your PBRN. In still other cases, it may be necessary to undertake …

Final Set Of Public Health Delivery Measures Selected For The Multi-Network Practice And Outcome Variation Examination (Mprove) Study, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

The Multi-Network Practice and Outcome Variation Examination Study (MPROVE) engages public health practice-based research networks (PBRNs) in the collection and analysis of measures of public health delivery across a large number of local practice settings in order to examine the causes and consequences of practice variation in public health. This document summarizes the final set of measures selected for the MPROVE study, including measures of the reach, volume, intensity, and quality of public health delivery in three domains of activity: chronic disease prevention, communicable disease control, and environmental health protection.

Public Health Return-On-Investment Template - Demonstration Version, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

The Public Health Return on Investment (ROI) Template is designed to help public health organizations estimate the economic returns from investments made in strategies that enhance public health service delivery, including quality improvement (QI) interventions. Depending on data availability, the template can be used to support retrospective analyses of actual investments as well as prospective analyses of potential future investments. The tool is designed to analyze economic returns realized through one ore more of the following pathways: (1) Reductions in routine operating costs; (2) Increases in revenue streams; (3) Increases in the outputs produced through agency services/functions; (4) Reductions in …

Estimating Scale And Scope Effects In Public Health Delivery: Implications For Regionalization, Glen P. Mays, Rachel A. Hogg, Rick Ingram, Kristina Rabarison

Glen Mays

OBJECTIVES: The nation's public health delivery system comprises nearly 3000 local public health agencies that vary widely in capabilities. Economic pressures, workforce shortages, and new national accreditation standards are leading these agencies to explore mechanisms for pooling resources to enhance delivery and improve population health. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort design is used to analyze changes in the availability and perceived effectiveness of services delivered by local public health providers. A stratified random sample of the nation's 3000 local public health agencies (n=497) were surveyed in 1998 and again in 2006 and 2011 (70% response) to measure the availability of 20 …

Estimating Scale And Scope Effects In Public Health Delivery: Implications For Regionalization, Glen P. Mays, Rachel A. Hogg, Rick Ingram, Kristina Rabarison

Health Management and Policy Presentations

OBJECTIVES: The nation's public health delivery system comprises nearly 3000 local public health agencies that vary widely in capabilities. Economic pressures, workforce shortages, and new national accreditation standards are leading these agencies to explore mechanisms for pooling resources to enhance delivery and improve population health.

METHODS: A longitudinal cohort design is used to analyze changes in the availability and perceived effectiveness of services delivered by local public health providers. A stratified random sample of the nation's 3000 local public health agencies (n=497) were surveyed in 1998 and again in 2006 and 2011 (70% response) to measure the availability of 20 …

Selecting Measures Of Public Health Service Delivery: Results From A Delphi Survey For The Mprove Study, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

This database contains detailed, sortable results from the expert panel Delphi survey used to rate candidate measures of public health service delivery to be used in the Multi-Network Practice and Outcome Variation Examination Study (MPROVE), conducted by the Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRN) Program.

Selecting Measures Of Public Health Delivery: Results Of A Delphi Survey For The Mprove Study, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

The Multi-Network Practice and Outcomes Variation Examination Study (MPROVE) supports six participating public health practice-based research networks (PBRNs) in selecting a common set of service delivery measures for use in analyzing geographic variation in delivery across local communities. This report presents results from an expert panel Delphi survey used to rate candidate measures on a set of selection criteria, in order to select the final set of measures for study.

Inventory Of Public Health Service Delivery Measures: The Mprove Study, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

This database contains a searchable inventory of measures of public health service delivery that have been recommended as candidates for use in the MPROVE study of geographic variation in local public health service delivery.

Reinventing The 21st Century Public Health Workforce: Innovation, Evaluation & Practice-Based Research, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Compelling opportunities exist for incorporating practice-based research to into the design, implementation, and evaluation of public health workforce training and development programs. Public Health Training Centers (PHTCs) can collaborate with practice-based research networks (PBRNs) to discover and disseminate evidence-based strategies for workforce development.

Reinventing The 21st Century Public Health Workforce: Directions From Practice-Based Research, Glen P. Mays

Glen Mays

Compelling opportunities exist for incorporating practice-based research to into the design, implementation, and evaluation of public health workforce training and development programs. Public Health Training Centers (PHTCs) can collaborate with practice-based research networks (PBRNs) to discover and disseminate evidence-based strategies for workforce development.

Patterns Of Interaction In Public Health Pbrns: Insights From Network Analysis, Rachel Hogg, Glen P. Mays

Glen Mays

This report presents data from a network analysis survey conducted with public health practice-based research networks (PBRNs) to examine patterns of interaction among researchers and public health practitioners who participate in the networks. These data provide a baseline for tracking the types and frequencies of interaction that occur within networks, and reveal opportunities for promoting more productive patterns of engagement in applied public health research. Over time, these types of data can reveal how and under what circumstances PBRNs facilitate the production and application of research about public health services and delivery systems. The analysis includes data on more than …

Making The Case For Public Health: Estimating Roi And Value, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This presentation describes recent progress and new directions for estimating the value of public health strategies and infrastructure.

Making The Case For Public Health: Estimating Roi And Value, Glen P. Mays

Glen Mays

This presentation describes recent prograss and new directions for estimating the value of public health strategies and infrastructure.

Editorial Comment: Keeneland Conference Plenary Sessions: Thomas R. Frieden, Julia Costich

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

No abstract provided.

Keeneland Conference Plenary Sessions: Thomas R. Frieden, Thomas R. Frieden

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

One of the leading challenges in public health today is moving forward as one whether we are part of academia, a clinical health setting, or a public health department, in order to improve health outcomes. Right now in the United States, the leading causes of death are caused from diseases that are preventable. We also face a steady rise in health inequalities among those citizens with a lower socioeconomic status. Director of the CDC, Thomas Friedan addressed the Keeneland conference audience on the impact that public health initiatives have had on the health of our nation. Public health interventions have …

Editorial Comment: Keeneland Conference Plenary Sessions: Richard J. Umbdenstock, Part 2, Glen Mays

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

No abstract provided.

Editorial Comment: Keeneland Conference Plenary Sessions: Richard J. Umbdenstock, Part 1, Glen Mays

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

No abstract provided.

Keeneland Conference Plenary Sessions: Richard J. Umbdenstock, Richard J. Umbdenstock

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Historically individual and community health problems fed off one another, nonetheless the connection eventually became clear and individual health and population health solutions started to emerge and built off one another. Somewhere along the line, population health and patient health seemed to become divided by a brighter line into 2 separate realms, few of us crossing from one to the otherToday we are looking out for the good of our respective communities. As hospitals move from volume-based payments to value-based payments, they are more concerned about the connection between population health and their own efforts to improve outcomes, care coordination …

Editorial Comment: Keeneland Conference Plenary Sessions: Carol Moehrle, F. Douglas Scutchfield

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

No abstract provided.

Keeneland Conferene Plenary Sessions: Carol Moehrle, Carol Moehrle

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Public health accreditation is the measurement of health department performance against a set of standards that are nationally recognized. The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is a non-profit, voluntary accreditation organization founded in 2007 with the goal to advance public health practice by providing a national framework of accreditation standards for local, state, territorial, and tribal health departments. Public health accreditation has been a methodical, planned transformation of public health. There are huge benefits to accreditation individually and collectively as a system. One of them is reaching the standard of excellence that we now have established in this national voluntary …