 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Jerrilynn Regan, RN, MS, MPA, Bureau of Primary Health Care, East West Towers, 4350 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, 301-594-4280, JRegan@HRSA.GOV, Leiyu Shi, DrPH, MBA, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Room 409, Baltimore, MD 21212, John T. Wulu, PhD, Office of Data, Evaluation, Analysis & Research, Bureau of Primary Health Care, HRSA/DHHS, 4350 East West Highway, 7th floor, Bethesda, MD 20814, and Jeffrey Dunlap, MSPH, Bureau of Primary Health Care, Health Resources and Services Administration, 4350 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814.
Providing a comprehensive description of community health center financial and performance measures over a 6-year period (1996-2001), this study builds on these measures to develop a financial distress index (FDI). The authors analyzed CHC financial measures including revenue source, revenue share, cost, and performance measures including productivity and staffing ratios. The composite CHCs' FDI was developed to measure the convergence of financial and performance vulnerability traits (e.g., self-sufficiency ratio, cost/revenue ratio, and productivity). Additionally, the FDI was applied to describe financial performance of CHCs along dimensions that include participation in managed care, location, and maturation. Methods: Data were extracted from the1996-2001 HRSA/BPHC Uniform Data System (UDS) Databases. Descriptive analysis provides trends on financial and performance measures of CHCs. Bi-variate comparative analysis examines differences in financial and performance measures of CHCs between rural versus urban, managed care versus non-managed care, large versus small, old versus new, and across HRSA regions. Multivariate, longitudinal analysis identifies center attributes significantly associated with CHC financial performance. Significance: The study provides the most current profile of financial and performance measures of CHCs to develop an index of financial distress. Application of the index to CHC UDS data would assist program managers by flagging vulnerable centers. Knowledge of relevant financial and performance measures and their associated characteristics would provide policymakers and CHC administrators with valuable information. The formula for determining FDI may be a breakthrough in the primary care literature and contributes to the literature in the field of CHC's financing and budget management.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Financing, Access and Services
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.