163149 Program performance measurement models for rural health

Monday, November 5, 2007: 2:45 PM

Lynda Bergsma, PhD , Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Jennifer Peters , Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Heather Free , Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
There are fifty State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) in the U.S., funded by the Office of Rural Health Policy in the Health Resources and Services Administration. Their core functions are to: 1) collect and disseminate information, 2) coordinate rural health activities statewide, and 3) provide training and technical assistance to rural communities. A frequent topic of discussion among the SORHs is how to meaningfully measure their performance in these core areas and present findings to a variety of audiences, including policy makers, constituents, and government agencies. The Government Improvement and Performance Review Act has also increased the need for this measurement. Because the scope of rural health activities among the SORHs is so diverse, it is difficult to obtain consensus on the aspects of coordination, training, and technical assistance that will, when measured, accurately represent the SORH program. Even so, measurement models can be developed that may help to advance the discussion about exactly what needs to be measured and how it can be effectively presented. This paper will describe performance measurement models developed by one State Office of Rural Health, utilizing tabulations, graphs, and GIS maps to present the data, and will make recommendations for furthering performance evaluation to include impact analysis and inform strategic community health planning and policy development.

Learning Objectives:
1. Assess the difficulty in determining how to meaningfully measure performance in coordination, training and technical assistance activities. 2. Analyze and evaluate the performance measurement models developed and the methods utilized for presenting the data. 3. Articulate how these performance measures can be utilized to inform strategic community health planning and policy development.

Keywords: Performance Measurement, Rural Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.