Regional Outreach at the Center The Center for Health Policy at the University of Missouri
For more than 10 years, the Center for Health Policy has provided policy insight, community-based participatory outreach, and non-partisan awareness and education around issues of health and health care for the state. 3
The future of Missouri s health will be SHAPED through meaningful engagement and the Center for Health Policy is leading the way. 4
The Center for Health Policy Bridging the Best Science to Meaningful Policy Change Center History The MU Center for Health Policy is the largest and oldest center in the state focused solely on health policy. Established in 2002 by Karen Edison, MD, and Kristofer Hagglund, PhD, the Center for Health Policy fosters dialogue and provides analysis of health policy issues that affect all Missourians. The Center is housed at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and is committed to providing objective, non-partisan information on quality and affordable health care, with the goal of improving residents health, no matter where in the state they live, work, and play. The Center leads projects on health literacy, health equity, Missouri HealthNet (Medicaid) data analysis, community-based participatory research, and cultural competency/humility. Areas of expertise also include health information technology, the patient-centered medical home model and telehealth. Center Growth The Center has grown since its early days in 2002, when it received a grant from the Missouri Department of Health to examine the accessibility and affordability of health insurance across the state. Today, the Center s scope covers nine program areas, with eight full-time staff, and eight non-center positions across four University departments and two business units. The Center s grants average more than half a million dollars per year and its research and analysis have generated more than 700 presentations and dozens of publications over the last 10 years. 5
6 The mission of the Center for Health Policy at the University of Missouri is to improve health and health care for all Missourians, particularly the most vulnerable. By informing and engaging policy makers and health care stakeholders on emerging issues facing the health care system in Missouri, the Center bridges the work and insights of academic researchers, policy makers, and communities to address the challenges facing our changing society and population.
Programs at the Center Missouri Health Equity Collaborative (MOHEC) Increasing every Missourian s opportunity for good health and safety is the goal of MOHEC. The project is led by the Center and supported by the Missouri Foundation for Health. Along with research and community outreach, the Collaborative also has an online community and clearinghouse of health equity resources. http://www.mohec.org Health Literacy The Center provides hands-on training and consultation services to health care providers and health care advocates on evidence-based health literacy practices and techniques. Trainings and services include an intensive program for health care providers, as well as plain language and facility assessments. http://healthpolicy.missouri.edu MO HealthNet Data Project Working with the Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA), the Center provides ongoing research and analysis of MO HealthNet administrative claims and enrollment data. By examining program costs and quality of care, this project gives health administrators and policy makers guidance on the implications of potential and planned reforms. http://healthpolicy.missouri.edu 7
Programs at the Center (Continued) Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) With support from University of Missouri Health System, the Center works with the Department of Family and Community Medicine and MU Extension in partnership with communities to improve health outcomes through locally identified priorities and evidence-based solutions. The HCI project bridges gaps between health service delivery, public health, and community planning. http://healthpolicy.missouri.edu Missouri Health Information Technology Assistance Center (MISSOURI HIT Assistance Center) Led by MU Health Management and Informatics, the Assistance Center provides guidance to primary care providers and health care systems that seek to convert to electronic health records (EHRs). The Center co-leads this effort with the MU Department of Health Management and Informatics and takes the lead on provider education for the state. http://ehrhelp.missouri.edu Accelerating Change and Transformation in Organizations and Networks II (ACTION II) Partnership with RAND CorpORATION The Center is one of only two organizations in Missouri chosen to participate in ACTION II, a partnership led by the RAND Corporation in collaboration with the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The partnership works to rapidly close the gap between evidence-based research and real-life practice on the ground. http://healthpolicy.missouri.edu 8
Programs at the Center (Continued) Heartland Telehealth Resource Center (HTRC) The HTRC launched in 2010. As part of the HTRC, Center staff work in close collaboration with the Missouri Telehealth Network along with colleagues in Kansas and Oklahoma to increase access to health care for all Americans. The HTRC provides technical assistance to help health care organizations, networks and providers implement cost-effective telehealth programs serving rural areas and underserved populations. http://www. heartlandtrc.org Missouri Telehealth Network (MTN) As demonstrated in the HTRC project, the Center works with MTN to provide analysis on gaps in health care access and methods of improving quality care through telemedicine (or telehealth). Research repeatedly demonstrates telehealth is a cost-effective way to increase access to care and reduce costs, and its usage is growing both in Missouri and across the nation. The Center continues to collaborate with MTN on increasing health insurance coverage for these services. http://medicine.missouri.edu/telehealth/ Missouri Health Policy Forum The Missouri Health Policy Forum hosts a diverse group of stakeholders who come together to discuss health care and health care reform in a non-partisan way. The Center facilitates the group s quarterly meetings, which are held in Columbia. http://healthpolicy.missouri.edu Missouri Health Policy Summit Each year, the Center brings together health policy makers and health care stakeholders to discuss critical and emerging health policy issues facing the health care system. First held in 2003, this Summit has become a critical bridge between researchers and policy makers that uniquely connects local, state, and national leaders. http://healthpolicy.missouri.edu 9
At the Center, a distinctive approach Leadership While health care policies trigger spirited debate, the Center continues to provide keen, non-partisan analysis of policies and practice, and to bring all sides together for productive dialogue. The Center hosts the annual Missouri Health Policy Summit and the Health Policy Forum where, collectively, over 1,500 attendees advanced their understanding of current issues in health care. Collaboration Good health and good policies are forged through collaborative practice. The Center s work is always accomplished by connecting with diverse partners, both inside and outside the University. For example, the Center has collaborated with faculty from Health Professions to submit federal grant proposals; partners with MU Extension, the School of Medicine, and the Truman School of Public Affairs on research and outreach projects in communities; and is partnering with UnitedHealthcare to improve the health literacy of its providers. Research Making sound policy requires a clear understanding of the issues, people, and places that will be affected. The Center conducts research on how low health literacy affects patients health outcomes, how providers cultural competency affects patient care, and how vulnerable populations, such as new immigrants, try to overcome barriers and get medical care. For example, the recent Missouri Health Equity Collaborative research systematically detailed the factors that create positive or negative experiences for recent immigrants in Missouri health care systems. Dissemination The Center staff is on the road and in the community, on a weekly basis, to talk with clinicians, policy makers, and stakeholders about emerging issues in health and health care. Over 10 years, Center staff have averaged more than 80 presentations per year at conferences and meetings all over the U.S., as well as regional and community meetings in all corners of the state. Practice Years of experience both in Jefferson City and Washington, D.C., have shown that simply sharing findings is not enough. The Center regularly incorporates evidence-based solutions into its collaborative practices. These include the Center s current work on improving doctor-patient communication through health literacy trainings, and community-based work in Sedalia with the Sedalia/ Pettis County Blue Ribbon Task Force. 10
Accomplishments & Highlights Project Focus: Missouri Health Information Technology Assistance Center Diversity/Cultural Atlas Missouri Health Policy Forum Missouri Health Policy Summit Healthy Community Initiative DETAILS: Meeting federal milestones. The Missouri Health Information Technology (Missouri HIT) Assistance Center helps Missouri providers and health care systems transition to electronic health records (EHRs). The Missouri HIT project was fifth in the nation meeting its federal milestone of signing up over 1,000 providers to EHR systems. Facilitating diversity discussions and cultural competency training in the MU health system. The Center advocates for culturally effective care and turns talk into action by leading discussion and training about the importance of cross-cultural communication with MU Health Care leadership. The Center has brought the nationally recognized Inclusion Institute for Healthcare training to MU and trained dozens of faculty and administrators. Creating a non-partisan forum for health care providers, insurers, and administrators with the Missouri Health Policy Forum. The only one of its kind in the state, the quarterly Health Policy Forum allows a diverse set of health care leaders to openly discuss the latest changes in health care reform, health policy, and the impacts on Missouri. Starting with 84 members in 2009, forum membership has grown to almost 170 organizations and participants. Hosting 10 years of state and national health policy discussions through the Missouri Health Policy Summit. Distinguished speakers have included former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle, Dr. David Satcher, New York Times columnist David Brooks, health care futurist Joe Flower, the Center for Science in the Public Interest s Margo Wootan, NPR health policy correspondant Julie Rovner, and filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, among many others. Forging academic/community partnerships. The Center is active in communities throughout Missouri to improve health and health care. The Healthy Community Initiative is improving population health in Sedalia and has generated $85,000 in grants for strategic planning and partnership development, as well as funding to support a primary care extension program for patient-centered medical homes. 11
Accomplishments & Highlights (continued) Project Focus: DETAILS: Missouri Health Equity Collaborative MO HealthNet Data Project Health Literacy Collecting actionable data to close health disparities. The Missouri Health Equity Collaborative (MOHEC) is conducting research that improves access to care for immigrant populations in Kansas City and St. Louis, and aggressively undertook research to better understand the limitations faced by patients with low-english skills. This work led to a close collaboration with the Missouri Hospital Association, the Missouri Dental Association, the Missouri Association of Rural Health Care Clinics, the Missouri Nurses Association, the Missouri Primary Care Association, the Missouri State Medical Association, and the Missouri Rural Health Association. Findings were published in A Pilot Study of Limited English Proficiency: The Missouri Interpretation and Translation Survey in Missouri Medicine (2009). Providing analysis for state decision makers. The Center partners with the state on the MU MO HealthNet data team to analyze Medicaid data and provide reports to the state that they use to improve the health care of vulnerable Missourians. This team received funding for faster, easy-to-use, web-based software that will allow new research and policy access to critical Medicaid data. The Center continues to provide assistance to the state in validating and analyzing administrative claims data. Leading state and national health literacy efforts. The Center developed the first board certified health literacy and effective communication training for the American Board of Family Physicians, the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics. The Health Literacy Practice Improvement program is an intensive, year-long program that has been implemented by physicians across Missouri, and in Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas. In the last four years, the Center has provided nearly 100 health literacy awareness sessions, 26 health literacy trainings/workshops, and has been asked to present 14 times at national conferences. In 2012 alone, the Center reached 1,755 health professionals and public health agents through 48 workshops, presentations, and trainings. Center staff have helped nine hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation facilities with their environmental health literacy assessments. 12
Results Shared with Missouri Health literacy Through its first board-certified Health Literacy Quality Improvement training program, the Center actively moves knowledge into practice for providers and their patients. By training health care providers in evidence-based health literacy and communication techniques, thousands of patients across the state and the nation are benefitting from better health care experiences. Health equity library (MOHEC) Center staff and MOHEC collaborators have amassed thousands of citations, journal articles, and tools on health equity topics. Resources are available through http://mohec.org. Electronic publications The Center regularly provides educational updates on the latest health policy projects around the state through its communications. Impact, an online health policy magazine, is published twice a year. The E-update is an e-newsletter sent out the first Wednesday of each month. Additional materials such as fact sheets, white papers, annual reports and more are released periodically. The Center tweets as well @CHPMissouri. Regional meetings The Center s MOHEC project staff share best practices and the latest results from research at regional meetings throughout the state. Details and presentations are available on http://mohec.org. Professional and public presentations Since its inception, the Center has delivered hundreds of professional and public presentations on a vast array of topics related to the health and well-being of Missourians. Presentations are posted online when appropriate or shared through the Center s video channels on Vimeo and YouTube. 13
Training for Tomorrow The Center knows that policy only goes so far. Good health requires the input and collaboration of all partners and frequently provides the chance for hands-on practice. The Center s work includes trainings and opportunities to foster positive change in the future health care workforce of the state. These trainings include: Diversity and inclusion for MUHC Linking the University Hospital System with evidencebased cultural competency immersive training. Health literacy PRACTICE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM Offering the best tools in effective health care communication for doctors and health care workers who want to improve patient outcomes and their own patient satisfaction scores. Straight Talk with your Doc Serving patients as well as health care providers, these workshops simulate patient/provider interactions and teach patients how to take charge of their health. Internships for Graduate Students Training future policy analysts and health care providers, the Center offers concrete, meaningful internships for graduate students. Community Programs Opening up the debate on health care means creating opportunities for the public to comment and participate. The Center frequently schedules such programs on topics like health care reform. Find out more at http://healthpolicy.missouri.edu. 14
Center for Health Policy University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65212 healthpolicy.missouri.edu