|
Monitoring
the Health Care Safety Net
OVERVIEW
AND OBJECTIVES
In 2000,
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report describing the health
care safety net-the Nation's "system" of providing health care
to low-income and other vulnerable populations-as "intact but endangered."
In particular, the report emphasized the precarious financial situation
of many institutions that provide care, the changing financial, economic,
and social environment in which these institutions operate, and the highly
localized, "patchwork" structure of the safety net.
One of
the IOM's key recommendations focuses on the need for better data systems
and measures:
"The committee
recommends that concerted efforts be directed to improving this Nation's
capacity and ability to monitor the changing structure, capacity, and
financial stability of the safety net to meet the health care needs
of the uninsured and other vulnerable populations."1
In response,
the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Health Resources
and Services Administration (HRSA) are leading a joint safety net monitoring
initiative. An expert meeting in November 2000 provided an overview of
the issues involved in establishing a monitoring system. Those attending
the meeting recommended a monitoring system with four main goals:
- Provide baseline
information and an assessment of policymakers' information needs for
the safety net system and its environment.
- Establish an early
warning system to alert policymakers to changes in safety net capacity
and stability.
- Provide information
to policymakers about the status of safety net providers and the populations
they serve that can help in designing interventions and strategies to
achieve policy objectives.
- Develop and implement
a research agenda on safety net and access-related issues for low-income
populations.
Focusing on both safety
net providers and the populations they serve, the agencies agreed to a
three-part strategy:
1. Creating two
data books that describe baseline information on a wide variety of local
safety nets. Select for details on measures in the data books;
2. Developing a tool kit for State and local policymakers, planners,
and analysts to assist them monitor the status of their local safety
nets; and
3. Identifying the data elements that would be needed to effectively
monitor the capacity and performance of local safety nets.
The purpose of this
Web-assisted audio conference series is to inform State and community
officials about the Data Books and Tool Kit and teach them how they can
use these new instruments to assess the performance and needs of their
local safety nets. After participating in three sessions, participants
should be better able to:
- Identify opportunities
for gathering new data, applying new knowledge and best practices for
developing a safety net monitoring system;
- Use the range of
measures provided in the Data Books to measure the status of local safety
nets and the populations they serve; and
- Identify strategies
to assess the performance and needs of local safety nets and tailor
them to state-specific needs.
In order to help State
and local officials address these and other policy-relevant questions,
AHRQ's User Liaison Program offers these three events:
 Event
#1: Data Books for Monitoring the Safety Net
Tuesday, September 23, 2003, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., EDT
Full text transcript of the event |
Event
#2: Safety Net Data Collection Strategies
Wednesday, September 24, 2003, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., EDT
Full text transcript of the event |
Event
#3: Using Data to Tell the Safety Net Story
Thursday, September 25, 2003, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., EDT
Full text transcript of the event |
Intended Audience
This audio conference
series is designed for State and local officials responsible for health
policy decisions that impact the safety net system and its environment.
It will be especially valuable to staff that collect and analyze data
on access, uninsurance rates, and financial and administrative data of
health providers. Also, it will be of interest to administrators and policymakers
focused on improving safety net monitoring systems in order to make more
precise and targeted policies for enhancing access to vulnerable populations.
Web-Assisted Audio
Conference Format
Each 90-minute Web-assisted
audio conference will address a different aspect of the Safety Net Tool
Kit. Participants are welcome to register for single or multiple sessions.
Each event will feature a panel of experts in the field who will answer
questions from the audience via fax, phone, or e-mail.
The audio conferences
will be available in a Webcast version and also in a conventional audio
conference format. Presentation slides, audio, and an online question
and answer session will be provided through the Webcast. Simultaneously,
the audio portion of the program will be available by phone for participants
who prefer to use their telephones instead of their computers. To
participate in the Webcast version, you will need a computer with an Internet
connection, Internet Explorer or Netscape, and audio capability.
If you plan to access
and listen to the Web-assisted audio conference through your computer,
you will need the following: computer, Web browser, Internet access, sound
card, speakers, and the free Windows Media Player plug-in for your browser.
You can obtain this plug-in at the following link:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/default.asp.
If you plan to access
the Web-assisted audio conference but listen to the audio over the telephone,
you need only a computer, Web browser and Internet connection.
Audio Conference
Cost
There will be no
charge for participation, but we would appreciate feedback on the
usefulness of this format for sharing up-to-date information on the topics
that most concern you in health care delivery and policy. Please invite
your colleagues to join us for any or all of the calls.
Audio Conference
Sponsors
This series of Web-assisted
audio conferences is sponsored by the User Liaison Program (ULP), the
Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships and the
Center for Delivery, Organization and Markets within the Federal Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). AHRQ is an agency in the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. AHRQ's mission is to support
research designed to improve the outcomes and quality of health care,
reduce its costs, address patient safety and medical errors, and broaden
access to effective services. In addition to its primary mission of supporting
and conducting health services research, AHRQ translates and disseminates
its evidence-based findings, providing State and local policymakers with
information and tools they can use to make more informed decisions about
health care.
The audio conferences
are being co-sponsored by the Center for Health Services Financing and
Managed Care in the Department's Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA). HRSA's mission is to improve and expand access to quality health
care for all by assuring the availability of quality health care to low
income, uninsured, isolated, vulnerable and special needs populations
and meeting their unique health care needs.
Back
to Top
|
