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Health Systems Research, Inc. and Altarum Institute join forces to become our nation's preeminent health systems research organization!
Health Systems Research, Inc. and the nonprofit Altarum Institute are joining forces to create the nation's preeminent health systems research organization. As a combined organization, we see a greater opportunity to spark meaningful and lasting change in the systems that deliver care to all Americans, including those who are underserved. Together, we will offer a powerful and objective resource to decision-makers at every level with the knowledge, training, and tools they need to deliver quality care today and achieve new systems tomorrow that value health, improve quality and do so at less cost.
When it comes to caring for our current clients, we won't skip a beat. We have deep commitments to clients and communities that we serve today and will maintain our superior quality effort. Those commitments are the bedrock upon which we are building Altarum Institute and which Health Systems Research, as a subsidiary of Altarum, will continue to serve, unimpeded, with creativity and excellence.
New Surgeon General Tips on Women's Mental Health
HSR has collaborated with the Office of the Surgeon General and HHS Office on Women's Health to produce a series of 10 Tips on Women's Mental Health, released in honor of Mother's Day, 2006.
The Tips may be accessed electronically at:
- http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/pressreleases/sg05122006.html
Using Geographic Information Systems to Improve Oral Health
Geographic Information Systems technology, also known as GIS, has emerged as a valuable analytic tool to assist public health officials in addressing many of the health care issues faced by Americans today. GIS is used to view and analyze multiple types of data through maps and shows patterns and relationships not immediately seen on spreadsheets, thereby informing plans, programs, and strategies to improve population health. HSR worked with the Association for State and Territorial Dental Directors and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration to broadcast a Web conference in February 2006 to inform the oral health, MCH, and primary care communities about GIS mapping and its use for improving the oral health of children and families in the United States. Titled Improving Oral Health: Using GIS Technology to Target Scarce Resources, this Web conference provides an overview of GIS technology, its role in improving public health, and its capabilities and applications for use at the State and national levels.
The archive of this Web conference is available at:
Chartbook on the Health and Well-Being of Children
HSR is pleased to announce the publication of a new chartbook, The Health and Wellbeing of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation, 2005. This is the first such publication to assemble data not only on children's health but also on their growth and development, within the context of their family and community environments. The data were obtained from the National Survey of Children’s Health, conducted for the first time in 2003. The survey was supported by the U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration and conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This chartbook presents National and State-level findings on children's health and health care, their families, and their neighborhoods.
The publication is available online at:
- http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/thechild
Bright Futures Process Evaluation Report now available!
HSR has just released a report highlighting the results of its process evaluation of the Bright Futures for Infants, Children, and Adolescents initiative. Bright Futures is a wide-scale, national initiative of the Health Resources and Service's Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau, designed to improve the quality of health services for children through health promotion and disease prevention. HSR is conducting the first national evaluation of this program, and this report represents one in a series of products to to highlight the evaluation findings, promising practices, and lessons learned.
This report is available at:
Findings from Forum on Early Childhood Caries (ECC) Available
Although childhood tooth decay is highly preventable, this condition is one of the most common chronic diseases among American children, particularly those living in poverty. In response, HSR worked with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration to convene a forum in May 2005 that explored promising approaches for reducing early childhood caries (cavities). At the forum, 30 ECC experts from academia, public health, government, and private foundations shared lessons learned that could inform and create an important knowledge base for policymakers and program planners. A new report based on the meeting is now available. Titled Promising Approaches and Lessons Learned for Preventing or Reducing Early Childhood Caries: Summary of a Workshop, this report is meant to further efforts by the public and private sectors to reduce early childhood caries. It addresses:
- Core principles of ECC prevention and treatment
- Promising strategies and challenges for ECC Programs
- Key considerations for developing and sustaining ECC initiatives.
The new report is available in electronic form at the link below. An article describing the major policy and program findings of the forum will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal Pediatric Dentistry.
Child Health USA 2004
HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau has just released Child Health USA 2004 -- an annual report on the health status and service needs of America's children that is produced by HSR. This detailed data book includes statistics for 55 health indicators on infants, children, adolescents, children with special health care needs, and women of childbearing age. Graphics and written summaries highlight long-term trends and information on population characteristics, health status, and health services utilization.
This publication is available online:
- http://mchb.hrsa.gov/mchirc/chusa_04/index.htm
Health Policy for State Legislators: An Online Resource
HSR is pleased to announce that the archive of the March 31-April 3, 2005 workshop Introduction to State Health Policy: A Seminar for New State Legislators is now available online. Sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Conference of State Legislatures, the nonpartisan seminar provides an overview of major health policy issues facing State legislatures, giving legislators a head start on several complex issues they may be asked to address in their respective States. Examples include such topics as health care quality and cost, addressing the uninsured, Medicaid and SCHIP, providing long-term care services, health care workforce issues, malpractice insurance, prescription drugs, and State roles in developing and regulating health policy.
State policymakers and planners will find this to be a valuable resource, as will members of professional organizations that monitor health policy at the State level. It also will be of great interest to health policy experts, researchers, faculty, and students. The archives can be viewed online at:
Women's Health USA 2005 just released!
HSR, in collaboration with HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau, is pleased to announce the new release of Women's Health USA 2005, an easy-to-use collection of current and historical data on some of the most pressing health challenges facing women, their families, and their communities. This year's edition reflects the ever changing and increasingly diverse population of women in the United States. It includes new information and data on issues such as household composition, maternity leave, contraception, and adolescent pregnancy. Where possible, every effort has been made to highlight racial and ethnic disparities as well as sex and gender differences. Women's Health USA 2005 is intended to be a concise reference for policymakers and program managers at the Federal, State, and local levels to identify and clarify issues affecting the health of women. You can view this publication at:
- http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa_05/index.htm
HSR senior staff member participates in French Parliamentary debates (Colloque Parlementaire)
On June 13, 2005, at the request of the Vice-President of the French National Assembly, HSR Senior Associate Loren Bell was invited as a keynote speaker for hearings being held on France's new national electronic medical record system. Mr. Bell was asked to speak on the use of technology in the United States for the delivery of social and health services. Topics covered by Mr. Bell included privacy issues, applying technology to diverse social and health services delivery systems, issues related to information sharing, and use of medical data for evaluation of health care delivery systems. The audience included French legislators, governmental officials, private physicians, hospital administrators, technology companies, and client advocacy organizations.
Mr. Bell is an expert in the areas of Federal food assistance and child nutrition programs, integrated data systems, and maternal and child health. At HSR he manages numerous evaluations and studies having to do with the national Food Stamp and WIC programs, the impact of Medicaid reforms on nutrition programs, and the feasibility of using national databases to link health and social service data. Mr. Bell can be contacted at:
- Health Systems Research, Inc.
4 Milk Street, 3rd Floor
Portland, ME 04101
Phone: 207-772-1410
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