The purpose of a Community Health Assessment goes beyond achieving state requirements or receiving accreditation. If you're a local health department, you may be interested in finding ways to push your CHA data further to more easily identify ways to improve health equity and community outcomes. Focusing only on submission can be counter-productive to the community outcomes you want to achieve. In this blog, we'll give you an overview of the importance of conducting a CHA. Plus, we'll provide you with key information you can use to reset your workflow and rethink your processes. Why you need to complete a Community Health Assessment Certain states require a CHA because it provides a systematic review of a community's health status and essential data and information regarding the health of the community. Specifically, the New York state Department of Health writes, "Community health assessment is a fundamental tool of public health practice. Its aim is to describe...

Hospitals and health systems understand the importance of diligent healthcare strategic planning. It enables them to monitor their markets while evaluating potential challenges and opportunities. However, without the right healthcare data at their fingertips, these initiatives can be more time-consuming and less efficient. How are players in the healthcare industry using data in 2024 and beyond to drive their strategic planning efforts? Let's look at some pain points hospitals and health systems are facing. First, hospitals and health systems must contend with recurring data challenges related to interoperability, accuracy and privacy. Secondly, to keep up with a changing consumer landscape, providers must adjust workflows and projects based on new industry data. We've detailed each challenge below and provided three strategies to combat them. What data to use in your strategic planning 1. Claims data When it comes to strategic planning in healthcare in 2024, providers must wid...

As a local health department, your Community Health Assessment helps you discover your community’s story so you can better identify and achieve key improvements. If you feel you can achieve more from your CHA, then it’s time to re-examine your approach. It’s not as difficult as it seems, and there is a roadmap: MAPP 2.0 . The Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership tool was developed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Using MAPP 2.0, DataGen created a five-month action plan that you can use over the span of five months for a better CHA — no matter where you start from or what your results have been. How to re-examine your CHA approach Month 1: Organize for success and partnership development Identifying the right internal and external community partners is the single most important step for a successful CHA. These are the individuals, at every level, who will champion, lea...

The healthcare industry has faced many new challenges in recent years. How does this seemingly ever-changing landscape impact healthcare improvement in 2024 and beyond? Based on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement 2023 Forum, quality improvement, safety and culture, equity and a functional delivery system remain top priorities across sectors. This was reflected in the forum agenda , which included 10 tracks and a scientific symposium with three primary focus areas: Quality: Addressing value, cost and quality; diagnostic excellence and improvement science Culture and safety: Building capability, leadership, workforce well-being and patient and workforce safety Patient focus: Equity, person-centered care and population health Since DataGen participated, we’ll give you some exclusive insight into what was discussed so you can better understand what’s driving healthcare in the new year. The future of healthcare improvement: 4 major insights 1. Quality requires a systems approach Th...