Oral

In 1997 the Institute of Medicine released, Improving Health in the Community: A Role for Performance Monitoring. The report provided a conceptual framework for community health improvement and examples of indicators for a community health profile, and argued for the value of monitoring performance. Subsequently, many communities have developed health profiles to provide an overview of health status and the prevalence of important determinants of health. Many communities have also adopted a set of indicators to monitor progress toward meeting health or health-care related goals. Recent emphasis on accreditation and accountability of local and state health systems is intended to provide communities with objective assurance that the performance of health systems meets minimum standards. Dr. Fisher will discuss how data on quality and outcomes of medical care available from the Dartmouth Atlas might be integrated in local level health profiles and performance assessment. Dr. Remington will describe how his work with local measures of health determinants and outcomes from the Wisconsin County Health Rankings has encouraged broader community engagement in the health improvement process. Drs. McDonnell and Marks, and Mr. Queram will join the presenters in a panel discussion of the opportunities and challenges of integrating provider-based health care information systems with multiple population-based information systems, as well as strategies for the public health community to more effectively monitor and improve population health in collaboration with the medical care system. Dr. C.E. Koop will provide commentary on ways to engage more people, including clinicians, in public health.

Session Objectives: Identify current and potential data sources containing health outcomes, behavioral health, environmental, social, and economic data that can be used in conjunction with medical claims data to construct a portrait of health for different communities. Understand how performance measures can be used to actively monitor the health of populations and their progress toward meeting health goals, such as through report cards or health ranking. Recognize the need to apply methods of geographic analysis to population health determinants as a means to expand our understanding of these determinants and to create practical tools for local health planning that integrates both medical care and public health. Identify key users of performance measurement and the ways in which this information can assist them in reaching their own goals.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing