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Greetings from PHAB,
I hope the readers of our e-newsletter continue to be energized about the increase in interest in accreditation, performance management, and quality improvement. At PHAB we are so pleased with the response that we have received so far. As of the publication of this e-newsletter, 70 health departments are engaged with us in the accreditation journey. PHAB trained our second cohort of health departments this month, and they will start uploading their documentation soon. We get new Statements of Intent (SOIs) each week, from large health departments, small health departments, and health departments with all kinds of organizational structures. It seems that accreditation speaks to many; and we are glad about that.
In this issue of the PHAB e-newsletter, you will learn about the issues discussed at our recent Board meeting. You will also read about other accreditation related activities with which PHAB is involved. PHAB acknowledges the very important roles of our national partner organizations in providing technical assistance to health departments preparing for accreditation. Each month we will spotlight one of those partners in some detail. This month's spotlight is on the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and their role in assisting local health departments to prepare for accreditation.
As you get ready for summer, we hope that your 2012 plans include applying for accreditation!
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Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN
President and CEO
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PROGRAM NOTES: Accreditation Program Updates
Public Health Accreditation Board of Directors Quarterly Meeting
The Public Health Accreditation Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting in Savannah, GA, on April 10-11, 2012. The Board heard about the Georgia Department of Public Health from James Howgate, Chief of Staff. Hearing presentations from health departments in areas where the Board meets helps Board members learn more about the various ways that health departments are organized, what their challenges are, and a little more about unique public health issues across the country. The Board also handled its regular organizational business during this time. Program highlights from the Board meeting include:
- Further discussion about the multi-jurisdictional application category (see below for more detail).
- Presentation about the newly released Institute of Medicine report Integrating Primary Care and Public Health, provided by Dr. Fernando Guerra.
- Interim reports from the recent Think Tanks focused on the public health workforce and the local health departments in California, as well as plans for future Think Tanks. Upcoming Think Tanks include: Maternal and Child Health (in partnership with the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs); Emergency Preparedness (in partnership with the CDC); and Public Health Informatics (in partnership with the Joint Public Health Informatics Task Force). PHAB uses the Think Tank process to inform our future program development and quality improvement activities. When final recommendations are completed from each Think Tank, and the Board has approved them, those will be shared in future issues of this newsletter.
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Carol Moehrle (PHAB Board Chair) and James Howgate.
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Multi-Jurisdictional Accreditation Application Category
During the development of PHAB's accreditation application categories, a new category of multi-jurisdictional was created. This category was approved in an attempt to address some of the current work occurring among small local health departments where sharing of public health services is the operational norm. Along with the category, the PHAB Board of Directors approved the following definition:
For multi-jurisdictional applications, the partnering health departments, which could be two or more health departments, will apply as a single entity. The partnering health departments must select one lead health department to apply on behalf of all the partners. The partnering health departments must submit a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or similar documentation describing in detail the multi-department relationship. The relationship must be that of the health departments working together to deliver services and/or perform functions over the combined jurisdiction. It cannot be simply an 'of convenience' or paper-only relationship to apply for accreditation. The business and working relationship of multi-jurisdictional applicants must be well established and well defined (The Guide to National Public Health Accreditation, Version 1.0).
PHAB convened an expert panel, led by Shirley Orr, to assist us in better understanding the working environment when health departments come together in this way. The expert panel was asked to provide recommendations on how the review process might occur to ensure equity in our reviews. Shirley Orr presented those findings and recommendations to the Board on April 11, 2012. The Board took them under advisement and is expected to make its final decisions on this subject at the June 2012 Board meeting.
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Bud Nicola (PHAB Board member) and Shirley Orr.
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Accreditation Committee Holds Its First In-Person Meeting
The Accreditation Committee held its first in-person meeting on April 12, 2012. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss conflicts of interest, according to PHAB's disclosure policy, and to get organized for their upcoming work of reviewing site visit reports and making accreditation decisions. The Committee spent time reviewing and editing policies and procedures to guide their work and in better understanding the accreditation review process. They will meet again in the summer to get acquainted with their component of e-PHAB, and then they will begin their official reviews. They are looking forward to accrediting the first health departments in 2012! Members of the Accreditation Committee include:
PHAB Board Members
- Dr. F. Douglas Scutchfield, Chair of the Accreditation Committee; Peter M. Bosomworth Professor of Health Sciences, Research, and Policy at the University of Kentucky
- Dr. Paul Halverson, Vice Chair of the Accreditation Committee; Director and State Health Officer of the Arkansas Department of Health
- Dr. Hugh Tilson, County Health Officer of the Sagadahoc County Board of Health (ME); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Joe Finkbonner, Executive Director of the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (OR)
- Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of the County of Los Angeles Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Program (CA)
- Dr. Rex Archer, Director of the Kansas City Missouri Health Department (MO)
Non-PHAB Board Members
- Christopher Atchison, Director of the Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory; Associate Dean and Clinical Professor at the University of Iowa College of Public Health
- Dr. Bruce Dart, Health Director of the Tulsa City-County Health Department (OK)
- Mary C. Selecky, Secretary of Health of the Washington State Department of Health
- Dr. Burton Wilcke, Chair of the Department of Medical Laboratory and Radiation Sciences at the University of Vermont
- Stephen Williams, Director of the Houston Department of Health and Human Services (TX)
PHAB Primary Staff for the Accreditation Committee
- Robin Wilcox, PHAB Chief Program Officer
Accreditation Coordinator's Handbook
 PHAB has just completed the Accreditation Coordinator's Handbook Version 1.0, which is designed to assist the Accreditation Coordinator with their responsibilities. The Handbook provides an overview of responsibilities and needed skills for an Accreditation Coordinator; the accreditation process; and descriptions of the roles of the Accreditation Coordinator and the Accreditation Team. The Handbook also provides suggestions about department processes and information about resources to supplement the Accreditation Coordinator's knowledge on specific elements of the accreditation process. Look for this new publication on the PHAB website! |
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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
NACCHO is the national organization representing the nearly 3,000 local health departments (LHDs). With the understanding that LHDs have various types of technical assistance needs around accreditation preparation and quality improvement, NACCHO has developed resources for those at all stages of the process. The following are several of NACCHO's resources, but please visit NACCHO's website on accreditation to learn about additional resources.
Strategic Planning Resources (NEW!): NACCHO recently released a how-to guide to aid LHDs in the strategic planning process. This free guide is available online and offers step-by-step instructions, important considerations, and modifiable tools and templates for use in any type of LHD. In addition to this guide, NACCHO is planning two upcoming strategic planning trainings. The first is a webinar on May 16 and the second is a day-long training, held as a pre-conference workshop at the NACCHO Annual Conference on July 11, 2012. Visit NACCHO's Strategic Planning Website for more resources.
Accreditation Coordinators Learning Community: Accreditation Coordinators from LHDs that have applied to PHAB are invited to join NACCHO's Accreditation Coordinators Learning Community. Members of this community share resources and ideas through an online network. Examples of recent discussions include tips for conducting a mock site visit with your community and how to celebrate accreditation accomplishments. In August 2012, the group will meet in person to discuss their experiences with the accreditation process and to support NACCHO's development of resources for Accreditation Coordinators.
Electronic Training Modules for Local Governing Entities: NACCHO has developed video podcasts for LHDs to use to assist them in introducing their local governing entity to public health accreditation and quality improvement. The first module is available now and three more modules will be available by late spring.
Resource Center for Community Health Assessments (CHAs) and Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs): The CHA/CHIP Resource Center is an online and publicly accessible venue to assist LHDs and their partners in planning and completing CHAs and CHIPs. Contents include practical, customizable, and downloadable tools; key resources; examples of CHAs and CHIPs; and webinar trainings. The CHA/CHIP Resource Center will be updated regularly and by late 2012 will contain examples of CHAs and CHIPs for accreditation preparation, stories from the field, and more.
Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) Network: The MAPP Network is a resource for past, present, and future MAPP communities. This site can be used to convene community partners, meet fellow MAPP users, solicit advice from MAPP mentors, connect with other MAPP communities, and learn about MAPP resources. The MAPP Network allows the local public health field to share experiences, ideas, innovations, and lessons learned. Join the network today!
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ACCREDITATION ROUND UP: Resources Related to Accreditation and Quality Improvement
Special Issue Devoted to Quality Improvement in Public Health Available Free Online
The January/February 2012 edition of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP) is a special issue entirely focused on the critical topic of quality improvement (QI) in public health. To access a free full-text version of this edition, please the JPHMP website. The JPHMP is the leading public health practice journal providing peer-reviewed practical information on the design and implementation of public health programs.
"Quality improvement in public health has lagged behind similar efforts in health care," says Dr. Lloyd F. Novick, MD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief. "The [JPHMP] is proud to be able to set forth a challenge and example for local public health agencies to adopt quality improvement."
Dr. Greg Randolph from the Center for Public Health Quality and Dr. Suzanne Lea, from the Brody School of Medicine served as guest editors for the issue. Drs. Randolph and Lea assembled a series of case studies describing how local public health agencies are implementing QI and analyzing key factors leading to the success of these initiatives. Their editorial "Quality Improvement in Public Health: Moving From Knowing the Path to Walking the Path," highlights the need to effectively move from recommendations and ideals to action. Other articles address QI learning collaboratives, as well as progress toward accreditation of local health departments.
"Research shows that urgent attention from public health practitioners is necessary to ensure needed improvements in quality," says Peggy A. Honoré, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, US Department of Health and Human Services and author in the upcoming issue, "We applaud the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice for providing a multi-faceted, in-depth perspective to this increasingly important topic."
Center for Public Health Quality: A Resource Beyond the State of North Carolina
Since 2007, North Carolina (NC) public health organizations have participated in statewide and national QI initiatives, including the Multi-State Learning Collaborative (MLC). Although these individual QI efforts were successful, a cohesive strategy to support and build capacity for QI in public health in NC did not exist. In 2009, the NC Public Health Foundation and the NC Division of Public Health (DPH), with financial support from local foundations, created the Center for Public Health Quality (CPHQ) to provide a standardize approach to QI across the state. The mission of CPHQ is to establish an infrastructure to support continuous QI among all NC public health professionals. Specifically, CPHQ provides QI training and technical assistance, shares evidence-based practices, assists in developing performance measurement, and leads strategic QI initiatives. In essence, CPHQ aims to create 10,000 public health problem solvers who continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all the services and programs they provide.
48 LHDs and 10 programs within the DPH have participated in the QI training program and have begun to implement QI within their organization. Recently published evaluation results from the first cohort of the program reveal that upon completion, 7 of 8 QI projects supported by the program had measureable improvements, 70% of participants reported high confidence in conducting a QI project following the training, and all participants reported sharing QI tools and methods with coworkers. Evaluation data from subsequent cohorts have shown results that actually surpass these accomplishments. For more information and to read some examples of the breadth of QI projects and the degree of success to date, visit the CPHQ website.
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WORD ON THE STREET
1. What are the minimum IT requirements for completing our Application and Documentation Submission in e-PHAB?
For optimal use, health departments working within e-PHAB must use a version of an Internet Browser that meets one of the following:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 (or higher);
- Firefox 4.0 (or higher);
- Safari 5.1 (or higher); or
- Chrome 10.0 (or higher).
Additional IT requirements include:
- JavaScript must be enabled;
- Cookies must be enabled;
- Pop-up windows are used, so pop-up blockers must be disabled;
- Computer monitor resolution of at least 800x600 is required but 1024x768 or larger is preferred; and
- Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 (or higher).
The Accreditation Coordinator should take the lead in working with the health department's IT staff or contractors to ensure that the department's system and capacity is compatible for use with the e-PHAB system.
2. I would like to volunteer to be a site reviewer. How do I let PHAB know that?
For this first cohort of health department reviews, we returned to some of the beta test site reviewers for their assistance. However, later in the summer of this year, we expect to reach out to others who might be interested in serving and who will meet the criteria. Keep watching this newsletter and the website for more information. Site visitor volunteers are a huge key to making the peer review component of PHAB's accreditation program work.
3. We heard that PHAB will assist us with some slides and handouts for meetings with our staff and board of health to discuss accreditation. Is that true?
Yes. Check out the "Accreditation Materials" section of the PHAB website, and see if you can use what is there. If you need something specific or can't find what you are looking for on the website, let us know and we will do our best to help.
4. Who at PHAB should we contact for specific questions and technical assistance?
You may contact:
Mark Paepcke, Chief Administrative Officer, to talk about fees and contractual information. He may be reached at mpaepcke@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 104.
Robin Wilcox, Chief Program Officer, to talk about interpretation and meaning of the PHAB Standards and Measures as well as the accreditation process. She may be reached at rwilcox@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 106.
Rachel Margolis or Marita Chilton, Accreditation Specialists, to talk about the accreditation process for health departments. Rachel may be reached at rmargolis@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 108, and Marita may be reached at mchilton@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 114.
David Stone, Accreditation Education Specialist, to talk about PHAB's education services, including orientations and trainings. He may be reached at dstone@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 105.
Travis Parker Lee, Program Specialist, to talk about meetings, events, and requests for speakers. He may be reached at tlee@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 102.
Kaye Bender, President/CEO, to talk about accreditation related strategies, partnerships, long-range planning at PHAB, PHAB Board of Directors, committees, and think tanks. She may be reached at kbender@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549, ext. 103.
If you have a suggestion for future segments of Word on the Street, please send them to Travis Parker Lee, PHAB Program Specialist, at tlee@phaboard.org.
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