Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110029

Peter J. Fos, DDS, PhD, MPH, Dean and Professor , College of Health, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Dr., #10075, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001, Walter J. Jones, PhD, Department of Health Administration and Policy, Medical University of South Carolina, 171 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC 29425, 843-792-8464, jonesw@musc.edu, and Miguel A. Zuniga, MD, DrPH, Department of Health Informatics, Medical College of Georgia, 1120 15th Street, Building AL, Evans, GA 30912-0100.

With steadily increasing constraints on spending and growing demands, state public health agencies have to provide and oversee the management of population health services with more rigorous analytic methods. The County Planning Model (CPM) is an additive multi-attribute decision model that has been employed in the last year in Mississippi by the State Department of Health to rank each county's capacity to and effectiveness in providing public health services. Using CDC, UnitedHealth Group and IOM data and rankings, weighted variables have been developed to measure population health risks, health outcomes, health access and resources, and health quality. Weighting was developed through a consensus numerical estimation by an expert group comprised of physicians, nurses, planners, public health system personnel, and policy makers. From the first year's data, county score rankings (from 1 to 63) have been calculated. Counties can be assessed against their own expected variable-specific planning scores, and also to a normalized state mean CPM score. The CPM is used to determine funding target areas and the expected change in CPM score and rank that should follow from funding shifts. Financial analysis at the state public health level will determine the related funding requirements in order to effect an expected or desired improvement in target areas. The combined CPM and financial analyses also provide the methodological capability to identify those situations in which significant health outcome improvements are not likely to result even with increased funding, further guiding subsequent managerial and policy decisionmaking.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Recognize the essential aspects of developing and utilizing the County Planning Model
• Identify the linkages between the County Planning Model and subsequent financial analysis
• List the important ways in which the County Planning Model can be combined with financial analysis to improve state and county health service outcomes and cost effectiveness

Keywords: Planning, Outcome Measures

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.