Last data update: May 13, 2024. (Total: 46773 publications since 2009)
Records 1-12 (of 12 Records) |
Query Trace: Corso LC[original query] |
---|
Accelerating momentum: The impact of CDC and RWJF investments in support of public health accreditation and quality improvement
Corso LC , Russo P . J Public Health Manag Pract 2018 24 Suppl 3 S114-s116 National public health accreditation was designed for and built by public health practitioners, through considerable volunteer participation from the field and the leadership of national organizations that represent the agencies to be accredited. Another important ingredient for success was the long-term commitment from 2 cofunders, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). These organizations provided the necessary fuel and, by continually listening to the field and working collaboratively with many partners, initiated complementary strategies that are serving a vital role in the success of national accreditation and its impact on the field of public health. | Spurred by a 2003 recommendation from the Institute of Medicine,1 the growth of state-specific efforts,2 and interest from their respective organizations,3,4 CDC and RWJF joined forces in 2005 to support the Exploring Accreditation Initiative and the subsequent Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).5 These efforts drew information from prior and simultaneous efforts supported by CDC and RWJF, such as the Multi-State Learning Collaborative,2 the National Public Health Performance Standards,6 and the Operational Definition of a Local Health Department.7 | This commentary describes major CDC and RWJF areas of support to the field since the launch of accreditation in 2011. CDC and RWJF have provided a variety of opportunities, such as direct funding related to accreditation readiness and quality improvement (QI), funding and technical assistance through national partner organizations,* and opportunities for training and peer exchange. CDC and RWJF have worked together, sharing observations about needs and successes in the field, to refine opportunities and complement efforts. As a result, several themes emerge that can inform other large-scale collaborative efforts and provide guidance for continued advancement of accreditation. |
Driving change and reinforcing expectations by linking accreditation with programmatic and strategic priorities
Corso LC , Thomas CW . J Public Health Manag Pract 2018 24 Suppl 3 Supplement S109-s113 In 2011, the national accreditation program for public health departments was launched, thus establishing national standards that specify and reinforce expectations for health departments. Accreditation can play an important role in stabilizing public health practice, strengthening quality and performance, and driving change. Accreditation-oriented crosswalks are a type of tool that can help realize the benefits of accreditation by highlighting connections between the national accreditation standards and public health programs, policies, and practices. While many different types of accreditation-oriented crosswalks exist, they all provide the same opportunity: to maximize accreditation's impact on improving public health programs specifically and public health agency practices generally. This commentary discusses development and use of crosswalks as a tool that links accreditation to programmatic and strategic priorities. |
Sharing environmental health services across jurisdictional boundaries
Pezzino G , Corso LC , Blake RG , Libbey P . J Environ Health 2015 77 (8) 36-8 Environmental health is a critical component of governmental public health, as provided in state, tribal, local, and territorial jurisdictions. The environmental health services provided by each health department can vary; common examples include the following: | | inspecting food establishments, | monitoring the quality of drinking and recreational water, | managing solid and liquid waste, | performing vector control, and | inspecting buildings to assure compliance with environmental codes. | Difficulty in finding qualified personnel (especially in small jurisdictions) coupled with challenges in paying for the cost of providing the desired services have been important drivers for health departments to explore alternative options. One of these options is cross-jurisdictional sharing (CJS) (Madamala et al., 2014). | | Cross-jurisdictional sharing enables collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries to deliver essential public health services (Center for Sharing Public Health Services, 2015). Sharing models range from informal agreements limited in scope to full consolidation of local health department agencies (Figure 1). |
Defining the functions of public health governance
Carlson V , Chilton MJ , Corso LC , Beitsch LM . Am J Public Health 2015 105 Suppl 2 e1-e8 We conducted a literature review in 2011 to determine if accepted governance functions continue to reflect the role of public health governing entities. Reviewing literature and other source documents, as well as consulting with practitioners, resulted in an iterative process that identified 6 functions of public health governance and established definitions for each of these: policy development; resource stewardship; continuous improvement; partner engagement; legal authority; and oversight of a health department. These functions provided context for the role of governing entities in public health practice and aligned well with existing public health accreditation standards. Public health systems research can build from this work in future explorations of the contributions of governance to health department performance. |
Turning Point revisited: launching the next generation of performance management in public health
DeAngelo JW , Beitsch LM , Beaudry ML , Corso LC , Estes LJ , Bialek RG . J Public Health Manag Pract 2014 20 (5) 463-71 A decade ago, the Turning Point Performance Management Excellence Collaborative (Turning Point) developed the first public health-specific performance management (PM) system, with accompanying resource materials, assisted by the Public Health Foundation. Since then, dramatic advancements in PM and quality improvement activities have occurred in public health. Public Health Foundation gathered data that revealed Turning Point was still relevant but difficult to implement within public health. To reflect recent advances and current challenges, Public Health Foundation refreshed the Turning Point model and related guidance tools and developed new resources to facilitate PM implementation. In addition, a new fifth component, "Visible Leadership," was added to the 4-quadrant model and the Self-Assessment Tool. In the future, public health organizations should take an active leadership role in innovating and sustaining PM systems, ensuring they become accountable for producing outcomes, leveraging technology advances, and incorporating best practices from all stakeholders. |
Guiding the way to public health improvement: exploring the connections between the Community Guide's evidence-based interventions and health department accreditation standards
Mercer SL , Banks SM , Verma P , Fisher JS , Corso LC , Carlson V . J Public Health Manag Pract 2014 20 (1) 104-10 CONTEXT: Recent years have seen rising interest in initiatives that focus on public health improvement. This includes support for accreditation of public health departments-administered by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB)-and increasing expectations that health departments should use evidence-based programs, services, and policies (interventions) such as those described in The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide). OBJECTIVE: This project was initiated to explore the potential connections between Community Guide interventions and PHAB domains, standards, and measures. DESIGN: The project team focused on developing a Crosswalk tool to assist health departments in identifying evidence-based interventions from The Community Guide whose implementation could help document conformity with PHAB domains, standards, and measures. All Community Preventive Services Task Force-recommended interventions were reviewed to determine whether they reflect the intent and requirements of the PHAB standards and measures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Three types of connections were defined through which Community Guide interventions could be relevant to the required documentation for a PHAB measure. All instances of these connections were identified and included in the Crosswalk. RESULTS: The Crosswalk tool consists of 2 tables. The first table cross-references individual PHAB domains, standards, and measures with interventions from The Community Guide that could help provide documentation for accreditation. The second table can help accreditation preparation staff to engage with program staff. It is searchable by Community Guide topic, identifying the PHAB measures that relate to each Community Guide intervention within that topic. The type, location, and extent of connections between Community Guide interventions and PHAB domains, standards, and measures are presented and discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Tools such as the Crosswalk can be instrumental in advancing the use of evidence-based interventions in public health practice. |
Transforming public health practice through accreditation (a user guide for the special accreditation issue)
Beitsch LM , Corso LC , Davis MV , Joly BM , Kronstadt J , Riley WJ . J Public Health Manag Pract 2014 20 (1) 2-3 In 2003, the Institute of Medicine recommended serious examination of health department accreditation as one strategy to improve public health agency performance.1 Three years later and just over 6 years ago, national voluntary public health accreditation was a promising idea with a blueprint for implementation, courtesy of the Exploring Accreditation Project, jointly funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.2,3 The concept had the broad support of national public health practice organizations and drew from the experiences of states such as Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and Washington, which had developed their own state-driven accreditation or standards programs.4,5 Nonetheless, the road ahead has not always been a straight, unwavering line, with a guaranteed successful outcome. | In 2007, the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) was formed as a fledgling organization under the auspices of a board of incorporators made up of the executives of the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Association of Local Boards of Health, and the National Association of County & City Health Officials, representing the larger practice community. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention co-supported PHAB's activities to lead the field-driven development and testing of the many critical elements of a national accreditation program. In September 2011, national voluntary public health accreditation launched to receptive audiences, even as health departments grappled with budget reductions and staffing shortages. Throughout the years of exploring and developing a national accreditation program, the nexus between accreditation and strengthening health department performance has remained a central tenet, essential to PHAB, to its earliest applicants and to the hundreds of health departments preparing to apply. |
Public health department accreditation: setting the research agenda
Riley WJ , Lownik EM , Scutchfield FD , Mays GP , Corso LC , Beitsch LM . Am J Prev Med 2012 42 (3) 263-71 Health department accreditation is one of the most important initiatives in the field of public health today. The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is establishing a voluntary accreditation system for more than 3000 state, tribal, territorial, and local health departments using domains, standards, and measures with which to evaluate public health department performance. In addition, public health department accreditation has a focus on continuous quality improvement to enhance capacity and performance of health departments in order to advance the health of the population. In the accreditation effort, a practice-based research agenda is essential to build the scientific base and advance public health department accreditation as well as health department effectiveness. This paper provides an overview of public health accreditation and identifies the research questions raised by this accreditation initiative, including how the research agenda will contribute to better understanding of processes underlying the delivery of services by public health departments and how voluntary accreditation may help improve performance of public health departments. |
The National Public Health Performance Standards: driving quality improvement in public health systems
Corso LC , Lenaway D , Beitsch LM , Landrum LB , Deutsch H . J Public Health Manag Pract 2010 16 (1) 19-23 Since its inception in 1998, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) has helped lay the groundwork for public health quality improvement (QI) activities at the state and local levels. This article describes how the NPHPSP has promoted QI through its instruments and guidance and how it has continually strengthened the focus on QI over the years. The NPHPSP Version 2 instruments and enhanced guidance have been designed to more strongly reinforce QI and catalyze the transition from assessment to action. Despite positive reports from some state and local users that emphasize the value the NPHPSP holds for those that do successfully move forward with improvement actions, 2005 evaluation results from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the National Association of County and City Health Officials indicated challenges in transitioning the assessments results into performance improvement. More recent data are promising; a 2009 postassessment survey of early Version 2 respondents indicates that the majority (75% of all respondents) report action in one or more performance improvement steps. The NPHPSP has played an important role in fostering QI in many states and local jurisdictions. Furthermore, its experiences and lessons learned in supporting QI have helped to pave the way for other initiatives, such as the emerging national accreditation system for state and local health departments. |
Quality improvement and performance: CDC's strategies to strengthen public health
Lenaway D , Corso LC , Buchanan S , Thomas C , Astles R . J Public Health Manag Pract 2010 16 (1) 11-13 This article comments on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's strategies to strengthen public health and its system components in order to create the necessary operational capacity and infrastructure vital to the success of all public health prevention, protection, and wellness activities. | Simply put, in the absence of a radical shift towards prevention and public health, we will not be successful in containing medical costs or improving the health of the American people. | President Barack Obama | Within the context of health reform, the Obama administration's ambitious goal of integrating prevention, public health, and healthcare delivery systems anticipates greatly expanding prevention and wellness activities as the primary means to reduce the burden of disease, injury, and disability in the United States. This prescription for change represents a significant challenge. If public health is to succeed in delivering on the “promise of prevention,” as well as exert our leadership role, then we need to counter with bold initiatives that promote accountability, performance, and improvements in public health. The reason is clear—without a high-performing public health system, we will not be able to attain the goals of the new administration and, most important, the health aspirations of communities across the nation. |
Defining quality improvement in public health
Riley WJ , Moran JW , Corso LC , Beitsch LM , Bialek R , Cofsky A . J Public Health Manag Pract 2010 16 (1) 5-7 Many industries commonly use quality improvement (QI) techniques to improve service delivery and process performance. Yet, there has been scarce application of these proven methods to public health settings and the public health field has not developed a set of shared principles or a common definition for quality improvement. This article discusses a definition of quality improvement in public health and describes a continuum of quality improvement applications for public health departments. Quality improvement is a distinct management process and set of tools and techniques that are coordinated to ensure that departments consistently meet the health needs of their communities. |
Accountability: the fast lane on the highway to change
Beitsch LM , Corso LC . Am J Public Health 2009 99 (9) 1545 Today, more than ever, health departments are seeking funding in a hostile environment, in which other institutions such as schools and jails have already received the imprimatur of approval from accreditation. The public's demands for greater accountability, a nationwide call to action for a smarter and more effective health system, and an economic crisis that requires strategic investments have all been growing as the importance of public health has been reinforced by the emergence of the H1N1 virus. In these uncertain economic times, accountability via accreditation may confer a substantial competitive advantage in the governmental marketplace and set us on the road to fostering an improved health system. | Building on earlier initiatives, the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) was formed in May 2007 with the goal of improving and protecting the health of every community by advancing the quality and performance of local, state, and tribal health departments through a voluntary national accreditation program. Via an open and deliberate process, PHAB is collaborating with national partners and the public health community to create and launch a voluntary national accreditation program in 2011. |
- Page last reviewed:Feb 1, 2024
- Page last updated:May 13, 2024
- Content source:
- Powered by CDC PHGKB Infrastructure