Improving health outcomes and preventing disease in the incarcerated population using a national outcomes and resource data set

Inmates have a higher prevalence of disease relative to society as a whole, and correctional health has previously lacked a nationwide performance data sharing system to study disease outcomes in this population. In order to improve the care of chronic disease patients in U.S. correctional facilities, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care has developed the Correctional Health Outcome and Resource Data Set (CHORDS). This innovative project aims to elevate the quality of care and disease outcomes in this traditionally underserved population, as well as protect the health of the public. As community providers gradually move into the era of health outcome data collection, CHORDS will uniquely position correctional systems to follow this path. The CHORDS project, modeled after the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), is a uniform quality monitoring system for analysis and benchmarking in corrections. Many aspects of health will benefit from the results of this project, including access to and effectiveness of care, infectious disease, information technology, and cost analysis. By standardizing and improving performance measures and allowing correctional facilities to assess their performance relative to similar facilities and to that of the community, CHORDS will improve health outcomes and the effectiveness of chronic disease management efforts in over 400,000 patients nationwide. The assistance CHORDS provides will lead to better care in the field of correctional health, and ultimately provide patients with a better understanding of their illness and treatment prior to their release into the community.

The National Commission on Correctional Health Care and some of the largest correctional systems in the country are currently in phase I of implementing this groundbreaking tool that will guide correctional health professionals in assessing and comparing the quality and effectiveness of care in a population disproportionately affected by chronic disease. The presentation of phase I will include results from multiple correctional facilities and systems across the country, and focus on the care of diabetics in the correctional population; lessons learned and barriers overcome will also be included. Phase II will include data from additional participants and a variety of diseases. Due to the levels of chronic disease in this population becoming a serious public health concern, the American Public Health Association's annual meeting provides the ideal platform for the unveiling of NCCHC's new project and all of its potential in the field of correctional health.