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Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation |
Policy Information Center |
MISSION: To provide advice on public health and science to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to provide executive direction to program offices within the Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS), and, at the direction of the Secretary, to coordinate crosscutting public health and science initiatives in the Department.
Evaluation Program
The Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) provides advice, policy and program coordination, and leadership in the implementation, management, and development of activities related to public health and science, as directed by the Secretary. OPHS helps HHS conduct broad-based public health assessments to better define public health problems and solutions. It assists other components of HHS in anticipating future public health issues and problems and helps ensure that HHS designs and implements appropriate approaches, interventions, and evaluations that will maintain, sustain, and improve the health of the Nation. OPHS provides leadership and policy recommendations on population-based public health and science and, at the Secretary's direction, leads or coordinates initiatives that cut across agencies and operating divisions. In addition, OPHS communicates and interacts, on behalf of the Secretary, with national and international professional and constituency organizations on matters of public health and science. Finally, OPHS's unique role allows it to use its resources to link important HHS programs or fill gaps in areas needing better policy formulation and coordination.
The FY 1999 OPHS evaluation strategy focuses on public health and science issues that cut across multiple interests of the operating divisions and requires a coordinated approach to achieve the most effective results. OPHS evaluations support the Surgeon General and the Assistant Secretary for Health in the respective roles as the Nation’s top doctor and senior advisor for public health and science to the Secretary. OPHS also conducts evaluations specific to the needs of the programs operated from the offices located within OPHS, such as Women’s Health, Minority Health, Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Research Integrity, and Emergency Preparedness. Some evaluation funds are made available to the ten HHS Regional Health Administrators. In keeping with its role within the Department, OPHS does not undertake evaluations more appropriately and effectively undertaken by operating divisions of HHS or by the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).
The Regional Health Administrator, Public Health Service (PHS) Region V, in collaboration with the Public Health Practice Program Office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will provide partial support for a project entitled, "Welfare Reform: Early Detection, Prevention, and Health Promotion Interventions for Local Health Departments in Alabama". The University of Alabama School of Public Health, in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Public Health, conducted a one-day conference at the Bell South Operations Center in Birmingham on April 22, 1998 for 155 sub- State public health administrators, supervisory nursing and social work personnel, and senior state staff. The conference ensured that participants: (1) understood provisions of the new welfare legislation affecting public health systems, (2) recognized events and trends in the health status of local populations affected by the new welfare legislation, (3) employed appropriate prevention and health education strategies to mitigate negative effects of the new welfare legislation, and (4) assessed the effects of their interventions. Satellite downlinks extended the conference to staff of most county health departments in the state. Pre- and post-test questionnaires assessed gains in participant knowledge. A post-conference survey identified improvements in job performance and public health practice relative to conference objectives.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of the Regional Director, Region V
FEDERAL CONTACT: Cobb, Clara
404-562-7904
PIC ID: 6686
PERFORMER: University of Alabama, School of Public
Health
Birmingham, AL
Interactive Health Communication (IHC) is the interaction of an individual--consumer, patient, caregiver, or professional-- with or through an electronic device or communication technology to access or transmit health information, or to receive or provide guidance and support on a health-related issue. IHC applications include health information and support websites and other technology-mediated applications that relay information, enable informed decisionmaking, promote healthy behaviors, promote information exchange and support, promote self-care, or manage demand for health services. The rapid evolution of IHC raises many questions about its impact on public health and health care and our ability to evaluate it. This report summarizes the potential risks and benefits of IHC, the underlying science or evidence base for IHC, mechanisms for improving IHC quality and effectiveness, appropriate roles and responsibilities for IHC stakeholders, and relevant major policy and research issues. The report also presents the Panel's consensus recommendations about national initiatives that are needed to achieve a preferred future for IHC.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
FEDERAL CONTACT: Deering, Mary Jo
202-260-2652
PIC ID: 6327
PERFORMER: Social and Health Services, Ltd.
Rockville MD
Through a series of audio conferences, the Public Health Foundation (PHF), under contract with the HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, provided technical supports to states, localities, and communities in establishing and measuring their 2010 health objectives. The first program, which specifically targeted State and territorial Healthy People State contacts, provided an overview of Healthy People 2010, facilitated States' involvement in the national objectives review and comment process, and engaged participants in a discussion of the facilitators and barriers to objectives development at the State level. Subsequent audioconferences focused on more specific topics such as data needs and resources, State/local linkages, and developing State plans. Information presented through these programs and gathered through participant feedback were organized and made available to States and localities to provide continued technical assistance in setting 2010 health objectives. This project produced five reports. (See also 6326, 6326.1)
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
FEDERAL CONTACT: Guidry, Matthew
202-401-7780
PIC ID: 6326.2
PERFORMER: Public Health Foundation
Washington, DC
Healthy People is well established as the Nation's prevention agenda and as a scorecard for monitoring health status. The development of new national goals and objectives for 2010 provided an opportunity to build upon Healthy People by identifying a small set of health indicators that would be understandable to the public and could be used to reflect and draw public attention to progress. These indicators should increase understanding of Healthy People and should be a useful tool for monitoring America's health. Because the leading health indicators form a highly visible and potentially actionable part of the Nation's health objectives for 2010, it was important that the indicators reflect the input of the scientific community as well as policymakers and the public. Thus, the Institute of Medicine convened a panel of experts in public health practice, epidemiology, data sources, performance monitoring, statistics, public policy, among others to develop criteria for leading health indicators and proposed three sets: Health Determinants and Outcomes, Life Course Determinants, and Prevention- Oriented. HHS drew on the IOM recommendations to identify the 10 Healthy People 2010 Leading Health Indicators.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
FEDERAL CONTACT: Meyers, Linda D.
202-401-6295
PIC ID: 7030
PERFORMER: National Academy of Sciences, Institute of
Medicine
Washington, DC
Baseline data for Healthy People 2000 objective 8.11 (By the year 2000, increase to at least 50% the proportion of counties that have established culturally and linguistically appropriate community health promotion programs for racial and ethnic minority populations) has been unavailable to date due to definitional problems with "culturally and linguistically appropriate community health promotion programs" and lack of a data source. This project supported efforts by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to include in their regularly conducted stratified sample surveys of local health departments (LHDs) questionnaire items that would provide data that can be used as a proxy baseline for this objective. Through key informant interviews, a set of questions were formulated and included in a NACCHO survey of the nature and extent of the interventions under study being provided by a random sample of LHDs serving communities with 10 percent or more racial/ethnic minority populations. The study found that most LHDs provide some sort of culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate intervention in the areas of health promotion and preventive services. However, these culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions do not necessarily constitute formal, structured "community health promotion programs" and, in any event, fall far below the 50 percent target set in the Healthy People objective. This study provides the baseline to measure the objective and sets the stage for additional contextual research to be conducted on the provision of cultural and linguistic services to racially and ethnically diverse populations.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Minority Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: Pacheco, Guadalupe
301-443-5084
PIC ID: 6798
PERFORMER: National Association of County and City Health
Officials NACCHO
Washington, DC
This project was designed to: (1) support the examination of completed and ongoing efforts that measure culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in health care and that link such measurement to patient and/or health outcomes, and (2) propose a research agenda to strengthen the science in support of CLAS health care. An analytical review was conducted of key CLAS-related laws, regulations, contracts and standards currently in use by Federal and State agencies and other national organizations. This review--coupled with input from a national advisory committee of policymakers, health care providers and researchers with expertise in cultural competency--resulted in the development of 14 proposed standards for CLAS in health care which largely reflect current policies, regulations and practice in this area. Written commentary is provided in Part I of the final report that addresses each proposed standard and its relationship to existing laws, regulations, standards, etc. Recommendations are also offered for implementation and oversight. Information and research needed to relate these standards to health impacts and outcomes, along with key research areas and questions, are presented in Part II. An attempt is also made to set the stage for an ongoing discussion of research concerns surrounding CLAS, including general issues, methodological concerns, potential research approaches and agenda setting. Existing research examined relating CLAS to health outcomes generally indicates that lack of attention to cultural issues leads to less than optimal health care, and that use of certain CLAS interventions leads to improved outcomes. However, it also reflected a clear need for more and better research in this regard. Additional support will be needed to establish the draft standards as national "model standards" for cultural competency and to develop a robust research agenda to strongly link CLAS to health outcomes.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Minority Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: Pacheco, Guadalupe
301-443-5084
PIC ID: 6675
PERFORMER: Center for the Advancement of Health
Washington, DC
Data that exist in a single agency, or in a single program of an agency, are no longer seen as sufficient to document the impact of increasingly complex programs or to answer the complex questions being asked about the impact of these programs. This report gathered information on how State health departments and mental health, substance abuse, and Medicaid agencies use and share existing data. The study examined the use and sharing of data in six States -- California, Massachusetts, Missouri, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington -- considered potential models for how to use data across State agencies. Overall, the study found that data sharing among State government health agencies is not occurring on a routine basis. These State agencies predominantly use only their own data, supplementing these data with data from other sources on an infrequent basis. One formidable barrier cited about data sharing, described by study respondents, was the lack of formal agreements between agencies for the purposes of data sharing. The report concludes with a list of 15 policy recommendations. The Public Health Functions Working Group and Steering Committee, with representatives from all of the former agencies of the Public Health Service, provided guidance to the project. (See PIC ID 6326.1 and 6326.2)
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
FEDERAL CONTACT: Gottfried, Kate
202-401-6295
PIC ID: 6326
PERFORMER: Public Health Foundation
Washington, DC
The National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board is conducting a multi-phase scientific evaluation of human nutrient requires that: (1) evaluates requirements and dietary and supplement intake data for nutrients and non-nutrient food components, (2) develops Dietary references intakes where data are available, (3) provides guidance for how these values should be used in various applications of clinical and public health importance, and (4) identifies research needs. Multi-agency participation is facilitated by an OS/OPHS requirements contract and interagency steering committee. OPHS evaluation funds have supported completed reports on folate and other B vitamins (9/96 to 3/98); dietary antioxidants and related compounds (9/97 to 12/99). Evaluations are underway on micro nutrients (9/98 to 12/00) and macro nutrients (fat, carbohydrate, protein (9/99 -6/00).
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
FEDERAL CONTACT: Castro, Elizabeth C.
202-401-5811
PIC ID: 6323
PERFORMER: National Academy of Sciences, Institute of
Medicine
Washington, DC
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 06/29/2002
This project will conduct a survey of a national random sample of managed care organizations (MCOs) serving racially/ethnically diverse communities. The survey will identify the nature and extent of culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) being provided by these health plans. It is intended to inform and educate health service executives and managers about the nature and importance of CLAS, encourage policies and practices in support of CLAS for all Americans, and establish meaningful national baseline data on the nature and extent of CLAS being provided across the country. This is especially important in communities where language and cultural differences create access barriers and barriers to quality of care. It is expected that the end products will include an analysis and report of the range of such services, an identification of best practices and model approaches, and an explication of the community and organizational factors conducive to the provision or inhibition of CLAS.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Minority Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: Hawks, Betty
301-443-5084
PIC ID: 6674
PERFORMER: Cosmos Corporation
7474 Bethesda, MD
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 04/30/2001
This project will: (1) examine the nature and extent of the minority health infrastructure within State public health agencies; (2) determine those factors that contribute to, or detract from, establishment and sustained support for such entities; and (3) assess the viability of and effects on State capacity to address the needs of racial and ethnic minorities in carrying out the essential services of public health and issues of disparities in health status and risks to health.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Minority Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: Maccannon, Gerrie
301-443-5084
PIC ID: 7014
PERFORMER: Office of Minority Health
Rockville, MD
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 02/29/2000
The President's Advisory Board on Race submitted a report of its deliberations to the President in the Summer of 1998. A "chart book" on the state of race relations formed the introductory chapter(s) of the Advisory Board's report. In addition, the White House commissioned the National Academy of Sciences to prepare detailed summaries of the research literature related to race and health. To support the Department's Initiative to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health community demonstration grant program, the project will identify relevant departmental data systems and perform preliminary analyses to support the grant program.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Minority Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: Carter-Pokras, Olivia
301-443-9923
PIC ID: 7014
PERFORMER: Office of Minority Health
Rockville, MD
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 09/30/2000
The contractor will conduct a comprehensive analysis of past and current Office of Minority Health (OMH) funded activities including OMH grant programs, cooperative agreements, and personal services contracts to determine the current types of information/data collected and available from them. The contractor will then develop a uniform set of information/data elements that OMH grantees/partners could be encouraged to collect for OPHS and OMH GPRA performance measurement purposes. A project advisory group of Federal and non-Federal individuals will be utilized. This project will identify a uniform set of information/data that should be provided by the recipients of OMH funding in order for OMH to be able to demonstrate the "returns for the public's investment." The project is to include, but is not limited to, examinations of the findings of the recently completed evaluation of OMH's Bilingual/Bicultural Services Demonstration Program, work being done within OMH to develop a statistical data progress report, and the related experiences and successes of other DHHS entities–building upon these efforts rather than "reinventing the wheel." OMH anticipates that as a result of this contract, it will be able to implement a process for obtaining the information/data necessary to demonstrate that the various grant/funded programs supported by OMH make a difference that matters to and resonates with policy and budget decision makers. Collateral technical assistance documents related to the uniform data/information set will also be developed.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Minority Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: Woo, Violet
301-443-9923
PIC ID: 7097
PERFORMER: Development Services Group, Inc.
Bethesda MD
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 09/30/2001
In 1997, the Office of Minority Health, Office of Public Health and Science, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recognized the need for dialogue to address the issues of quality assurance, efficiency, and outcome measures related to the delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Specifically, OMH contracted with the Center for the Advancement of Health, Inc. (CAH), in partnership with the Resources for Cross Cultural Health Care (RCCHC), to: (1) examine completed and ongoing efforts that measure culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in health care and that link the resulting measurement with patient and/or health outcomes. (2) propose a research agenda to strengthen the science in support of CLAS health care. As a result, 14 proposed standards were developed with input from a national advisory committee of policymakers, health care providers, and researchers with expertise in cultural competency. Examples of proposed standards include: the promotion and support of attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, and skills necessary for staff to work respectfully and effectively with patients and each other in a culturally diverse work environment and the ongoing education and training of all staff in CLAS delivery. A fuller description of the completed project may be obtained from PIC ID # 6675. This project seeks to further refine these draft standards through a public comment period to include opportunities for feedback from additional experts and the general public. Comments will be accepted via the Internet, by mail ,and at regional meetings that will be held in San Francisco, CA; Chicago, IL; and Washington, DC. At the conclusion of the public comment period, comments will be analyzed and integrated into the development of a final set of standards that will be national in scope and have national applicability, acceptability, and utility.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Minority Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: Pacheco, Guadalupe
301-443-5084
PIC ID: 7260
PERFORMER: IQ Solutions, Inc.
Rockville, MD
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 09/30/2000
The purpose of Phase I of this project is to develop and field test a research protocol including an information collection method and instrument that could be used to evaluate the Office of Minority Health Resource Center (OMHRC). Phase II of this project is to implement the research protocol developed in Phase I, intended to evaluate OMHRC. The Phase III of this project analyzed data and prepared analytical reports on data from a survey of actual and potential users of the OMHRC. Specifically, Phases I, II and III of this project collected, analyzed and reported data concerning: (1) the functions of OMHRC; (2) target audiences and services provided to these audiences; (3) how OMHRC assesses user and target audience needs, ability of the center to meet those needs, and satisfaction of users with center services, and ways to improve these assessments; (4) how OMHRC relates to other Federal and nonfederal information sources, including Federal clearinghouses, Federally supported health or human service offices, and Federal, State and local minority health offices; and (5) gaps in information dissemination that are not being addressed by Federal information sources. High percentages of consumers completing the survey instrument found the matters from the Resource Center use (96.1%) and a large majority (92.6%) were satisfied with the services received from the Center.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Minority Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: Kelley, Howard L., D.D.S.
301-443-5224
PIC ID: 6244
PERFORMER: Research Triangle Institute
Research Triangle Park,
NC
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 03/31/2000
This project will assure that documentation of budget and workforce capacity performance of essential public health services will be available regarding the twelve cities studied by the Center for Studying Health Systems Change's "Longitudinal Community Study." The longitudinal study is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJ) for at least four years, and will identify changes in the public health system over the same period.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
FEDERAL CONTACT: Guidry, Matthew
202-401-7780
PIC ID: 6325
PERFORMER: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Plainsboro, NJ
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 09/30/2000
The purposes of this project are to identify the potential for health plans' participation in community-level health improvement activities, and to examine the incentives and barriers that will affect their decisions to take part in community-based health efforts.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
FEDERAL CONTACT: Guidry, Matthew
202-401-7780
PIC ID: 6492
PERFORMER: Partnership For Prevention
Washington, DC
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 09/30/2000