Vision: People are receiving a better quality of health care, at well-managed cost, and are engaged with improving their health-related lifestyle
Mission: Improving the quality of health care services, reducing costs, and activating patient involvement in their own health
Health care reform presents hospitals and clinics with a three-part challenge: provide higher quality services, greater patient satisfaction and engagement, and optimize costs in populations of people. Cost management will be determined in part by provider management strategies. Patient activation is becoming an increasingly important factor in the cost equation. CHI-Research and Evaluation is prepared to offer guidance on patient health engagement and measuring its effect on provider effectiveness and health care costs.
CHI offers research and evaluation strategies designed specifically for application to these topics:
- Hospital and Medical Clinic Services
- Community Health Promotion Programs
- Older Adult Health Promotion
Research and Evaluation Approaches:
Hospital and Medical Clinic Services
Problem: Some patients with ongoing health conditions leave their doctor’s office or the hospital and do not follow their doctor’s important advice or they do not make lifestyle changes that will improve their health. Their health suffers, health care outcomes decline, and later health care costs increase.
Challenge: Create ways that patients who need additional support for their health receive it.
Promise: Research effort followed by program evaluation will identify people who need assistance and determine if provided help was cost effective.
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Community Health Promotion Programs
Problem: In communities large and small, there are people and organizations that could help with improving the health of children and youth and could assist adults and seniors in coping with their health problems. Often, these resources are not organized and the entire burden for better health falls on the individual or on high-cost medical services.
Challenge: Build resource networks and mobilize existing resources that, without duplicating or interfering with their medical care, will improve community residents’ health.
Promise: Research-evaluation is showing that with modest financial support, individuals and organizations in the community can collaborate to promote health not provided by hospitals or clinics.
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Older Adult Health Promotion
Problem: Adults on Medicare have more health problems and fewer financial resources to meet their health care needs. Many have lifestyles unfavorable to their health condition. Some lack knowledge of how to make the best use of medical advice. These people can be costly in the health care system and may suffer poorer well-being because of their limitations.
Challenge: Expand naturally existing social networks so that seniors who live alone or have limited health knowledge and skills are connected with other adults who can provide needed support.
Promise: Research-evaluation is finding that many older adults welcome outreach that links them with people who can help with illness self-management and health lifestyle improvement.
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