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PHAB
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Alexandria, VA 22314
703.778.4549
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| Greetings, | |
April and May brought another whirlwind of activities, most notably preparation for the Beta Test site visits. After completing two sessions of training for nearly 100 site visitors and alternates, we started the process of scheduling the site visits. Not surprising, it has been no small feat to negotiate the schedules of so many people and the health departments to which they were assigned, but we've made remarkable progress.
There were a number of meetings with our partners. The PHAB Research and Evaluation committee met in Atlanta to discuss efforts in achieving the evidence based practice we all strive for. We also participated in a Think Tank meeting focused on the links between health department accreditation and public health laboratories. The Association of Public Health Laboratories helped organize the meeting and it was a valuable learning experience for all involved.
We've also continued to hear from our partners the questions that their constituents are asking. Last month, we introduced "Word on the Street" as a way of sharing answers to these questions with everyone who is interested in PHAB's work. I've included more questions and answers in this newsletter.
If you have suggestions for making our news more user-friendly and relevant, don't hesitate to let us know. Thanks for your interest in PHAB and for joining us as we meet the milestones to national accreditation.
Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN
PHAB President & CEO |
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Beta Test Site Visits | |
From the beginning of May through August 2010, teams of trained site visitors will assess the documentation submitted in the self-assessment phase by each of the 30 Beta Test health departments. Each health department is assigned a team consisting of 3-4 members who will visit the health department to complete the review process. The site visitors are experienced public health professionals from a variety of public health disciplines who are responsible for applying the standards of accreditation to the evidence provided by the health department. The Beta Test is being conducted to simulate accreditation but will not result in health departments achieving accreditation status. The importance of this test lies in the research and evaluation of the process and how this will inform the launch of the national public health accreditation program in 2011. |
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Research and Evaluation Committee Meeting | |
PHAB's Research and Evaluation Committee met on April 27-28, 2010 in Atlanta, GA to focus on the evaluation plan for accreditation. PHAB intends to emulate the same QI principles that we are asking of health departments by developing and implementing a robust evaluation plan for our work going forward. We are fortunate to have committed members of this committee to assist us in this important effort. Tom Chapel, Director of Evaluation for CDC (acting) facilitated the evaluation discussion. The Committee is co-chaired by Dr. Bill Riley and Dr. Les Beitsch.
Members of the Research and Evaluation Committee work in small groups during a recent meeting in Atlanta, GA. | |
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Public Health Laboratories Think Tank | | |
In partnership with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), PHAB held a Think Tank in Washington, DC on April 29, 2010. The purpose of the Public Health Laboratory Think Tank was to discuss the roles of public health laboratories within the public health agency; discuss ways in which APHL and PHAB can work together to educate APHL members on the benefits of participating in PHAB accreditation; outline a draft plan for merging the proposed APHL standards into the PHAB process; and, develop actionable recommendations to the PHAB Board of Directors. PHAB appreciates the thought and deliberations of the Think Tank members as we plan together how best to include laboratories in the public health department accreditation process. PHAB Board members attending the Think Tank were Dr. Fernando Guerra and Dr. Bud Nicola.
Participants of the Public Health Laboratories Think Tank. |
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Word on the Street | | |
These questions are presented to us through the informal conversations our partners have with their constituents. We believe this provides a wealth of discussion material and subsequent answers to common questions. Here is the latest word on the street:
1. How can assessment information be used to conduct community health improvement planning or state health improvement planning?
PHAB's definition of community health improvement plan is a long-term systematic effort to address issues identified by the assessment and community health improvement process. It is broader than the health department agency and should include community partners. A solid community health improvement plan can be used by partners to prioritize activities and set priorities. For accreditation purposes, the community health improvement plan should be timely. We are frequently asked about the definition of community. It should be the population or jurisdiction that the health department is organized to serve.
2. What will accreditation cost?
The fees for accreditation will be developed by the PHAB Board of Directors by the time the program is launched in 2011. NORC is obtaining information on the cost of accreditation through the beta test, and PHAB is also gathering information on its costs. Through research and analysis of costs and related incentives to offset those costs, a fee structure will be adopted that provides resources but is not a barrier for health departments seeking accreditation. The Board has approved principles upon which the fee structure will be established. Those principles are:
- Fees will not totally support the work of PHAB.
- The fee set should include a sliding scale of fees/categories based on health department size.
- Fees should be set at a level sufficient to cover costs of review site visits.
- It is expected that the number of health departments accredited will increase each year for the first five years, with 2011 being a shorter year.
- Fees should consider the minimum capability that the market can bear to accomplish the accreditation work, but begin at the maximum fee structure since it's not feasible to increase fees later.
- PHAB needs to not only create the demand but satisfy the demand.
- PHAB needs to describe its budget by fixed and variable costs.
- PHAB needs to keep looking for core support.
- State, local and tribal fee strata should be developed.
- Regionalization will change the scenarios slightly, as will the final reports from the Centralized States Think Tank and the State-based Accreditation Work.
- It is expected that fees could be spread over the years between accreditation. That approach would give PHAB a stable funding source and assist health departments in managing the fees.
If you have a suggestion for future segments of "Word on the Street" please send them to Donna Davis, PHAB's Director of Public and Constituent Relations, at ddavis@phaboard.org. |
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