Performance Improvement 2001. In-Progress Evaluations

The purpose of this project is to begin the process of developing a consensus definition of core capacities for infectious disease surveillance starting with public health laboratories. A contractor will be hired to develop and pilot test a methodology for assessing necessary public health laboratory capacities and capabilities for select infectious diseases. For the purposes of this proposal, capacity refers to the output of testing or services accomplished over a defined time period; capability refers to a specific activity that will ensure the laboratory's success in conducting infectious disease surveillance.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Infectious Diseases

FEDERAL CONTACT: Deborah Deppe, 404-639-4668

PIC ID: 7436

PERFORMER: Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC

The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program is a state-operated, federal entitlement program that supplies private and public providers with federally purchased vaccine. This process evaluation of the VFC program allowed the assessment, in a single state, South Carolina, of how many VFC-eligible children are receiving immunizations in HD immunization-only clinics and of factors associated with use of these clinics. The objective was to determine the factors associated with seeking immunizations in health department clinics throughout the state. Research Triangle Institute (RTI) was contracted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to interview the primary caretakers of children age 12 and under who bring their children to a health department clinic in South Carolina for immunizations. RTI conducted 706 interviews at 24 randomly selected clinics throughout the state. Data were collected via paper and pencil surveys. It was found that data collection procedures in South Carolina appear to have consider applicability to other states interested in client participation in the VFC program. Active involvement by the staff of the Department of Health played an important part in the success of the survey. The survey was well accepted; it received a 99 percent response rate, and it yielded information about program participants that is proving useful for planning.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:12/30/2000

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Immunization Program

FEDERAL CONTACT: Nancy Cheal, 404-639-7095

PIC ID: 7197.1

PERFORMER: Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC

This request for services is to assist in a search for literature and other information that identifies cultural and social-structural characteristics of communities that are associated with HIV/AIDS risk behavior and prevention efforts. Materials and information found in the search will be used to support community-level research on HIV/AIDS prevention.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:10/01/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention

FEDERAL CONTACT: Esther Sumartojo, 404-639-8300

PIC ID: 6701

PERFORMER: Macro International, Inc., Atlanta, GA

An increased level of scrutiny by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been directed at evaluating the overall impact and the relative cost-effectiveness of tobacco control programs. This project will focus on activities related to implementing a comprehensive and coordinated evaluation of Statewide tobacco control efforts.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:01/03/2000

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

FEDERAL CONTACT: Don Sharp, 770-488-5703

PIC ID: 6714

PERFORMER: Battelle Corporation, Arlington, VA

The objective of this project is to evaluate the impact of STD treatment guidelines in public and private settings, to identify factors associated with compliance with guidelines, and assess the relationship between adherence to guidelines and associated health outcomes.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/01/2000

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention

FEDERAL CONTACT: Ruth Irwin, 404-639-8956

PIC ID: 7047

PERFORMER: The HMO Group, New Brunswick, NJ

The State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS) is a newly developed survey mechanism which utilizes the sampling frame and screening procedures of the ongoing National Immunization Survey (NIS). The objective of this project was to evaluate SLAITS as a modality for monitoring State performance in implementing the State Children's Health Insurance Program during a period of rapid State restructuring of health and welfare institutions. This final report presents three studies that use an alternative approach to assess the degree of Medicaid underreporting. In Studies 1 and 3, state administrative records were used to create sampling frames consisting of children currently enrolled in Medicaid. In Study 2, data on children selected during a random-digit-dial (RDD) telephone survey were linked back to state Medicaid enrollment records. This paper focused on the magnitude and effect of an underreporting bias and on the difficulties encountered when trying to link telephone surveys and administrative records. The study found that reporting of Medicaid coverage in population-based surveys is lower than the number of persons enrolled in Medicaid according to administrative data. Many health care research experts suspect that about 20% of the parents of Medicaid recipients do not report that their children receive Medicaid. And, linking survey respondents to Medicaid records will be hampered by difficulties in connecting focal children with enrollment lists and records.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Health Statistics

FEDERAL CONTACT: Marcie Cynamon, 301-436-7085

PIC ID: 7046

PERFORMER: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, NJ

The objective of this study is to reduce non-response bias in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The central foci of this program assessment are the conduct of interviews and/or focus groups of respondents and non-respondents and potentially of individuals as similar to the non- respondents as possible to evaluate potential reasons for response and non-response to the NHANES.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2002

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Health Statistics

FEDERAL CONTACT: David Davis, 404-639-0938

PIC ID: 7435

PERFORMER: Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC

This project will conduct national population-based surveys of administrators and clinical providers in family planning programs funded by Titles X and XX, maternal and child health programs funded by Title V, and the federally-funded Primary and Migrant Health Centers. The information obtained from these surveys will be used to develop recommendations for the development of future clinical guidelines.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

FEDERAL CONTACT: Alison Spitz, 770-488-5260

PIC ID: 6712

PERFORMER: Battelle Corporation, Arlington, VA

The purpose of this evaluation is to identify the costs of implementing standing orders programs and their components compared to other organized immunization programs in long term care facilities (LTC) and, subsequently, to determine the cost-effectiveness of such programs and their components. This evaluation will require two phases: Phase 1 will include identification of program costs and of effects of program on staff and resident flow at the LTC and, Phase 2 will include determination of cost effectiveness of the programs related to improvement in vaccination coverage rates in the LTC.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2002

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Immunization Program

FEDERAL CONTACT: Abigail Shefer, 404-639-8333

PIC ID: 7434

PERFORMER: Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC

This project proposes to evaluate the potential of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for the surveillance of sentinel health indicators in the U.S.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Health Statistics

FEDERAL CONTACT: Ann Hardy, 301-436-7085

PIC ID: 7040

PERFORMER: TRW Government Information Services, Fairfax, VA

In 1997 the Epidemiology Program Office established the Public Health Prevention Service (PHPS), a new three-year training program, designed to improve the Nation's public health practice by preparing entry- level public health professionals to conduct prevention programs. This evaluation project will establish the foundation for a monitoring and evaluation system designed to provide feedback to the PHPS program for continuous improvement.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/11/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: Epidemiology Program Office

FEDERAL CONTACT: Dennis Jarvis, 404-639-4087

PIC ID: 7038

PERFORMER: Macro International, Inc., Atlanta, GA

Currently, at least 22 States have immunization information systems (IIS) functioning either State-wide or in some counties or local communities. At this point in the development cycle, it is important to evaluate how the data in the IIS are used. If it is understood how these data are used and structural and functional barriers to data use can be identified, recommendations can be made to promote the full use of these data resources.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Immunization Program

FEDERAL CONTACT: John Stevenson, 404-639-8730

PIC ID: 6713

PERFORMER: Advanced Technology Systems, Johnson City, TN

This project proposes to evaluate the effectiveness of a free folic acid supplement distribution program in a family planning setting using blood folate determinates in conjunction with questionnaires of knowledge and supplement use behaviors.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Environmental Health

FEDERAL CONTACT: Margaret Watkins, 770-488-7187

PIC ID: 7042

PERFORMER: Battelle Corporation, Arlington, VA

In light of major changes in funding and further developments of core capacity and infrastructure of State diabetes control programs, there is a need to step back and form a collective vision of the National Diabetes Control Program. This vision will form the basis for the FY 1999-2000 National Diabetes Control Program announcement for cooperative agreement renewals.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

FEDERAL CONTACT: Dara Murphy, 770-488-5046

PIC ID: 7051

PERFORMER: Macro International, Inc., Atlanta, GA

The purpose of this project is to conduct a survey of a sample of physicians' diagnosis, treatment, reporting and partner management practices for syphilis and HIV infection. The study will determine when, under what conditions, for which diseases, how and for which patients, practitioners notify and/or treat the sexual partners of patients who are diagnosed with syphilis and HIV infection.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention

FEDERAL CONTACT: Janet St. Lawrence, 404-639-8376

PIC ID: 7054

PERFORMER: Battelle Corporation, Arlington, VA

This project will coordinate a review of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) analysis of the impact of restructuring on essential public health services in Los Angeles County. It will collect case study data in up to six urban public health systems impacting the capacity to deliver essential public health services. It will also describe a set of predictive relationships applicable to other State and local health departments.

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001

AGENCY SPONSOR: Public Health Practice Program Office

FEDERAL CONTACT: Pomeroy Sinnock, 770-488-2469

PIC ID: 6276

PERFORMER: Macro International, Inc., Atlanta, GA