Projects
Citizens Health Initiative
The NH Citizens Health Initiative seeks to create a system of care that promotes health, where quality is assured and care is accessible, affordable, effective, and safe. The Institute provides management and research support for the Initiative.
Duration: 2005 – present
Contact: Ned Helms
Funder(s): NH Endowment for Health, NH Charitable Foundation, Healthy New Hampshire, Local Government Center, Bean Foundation
Visit the Website: http://www.steppingupnh.org/
CDC State Assessment Initiative Cooperative Agreement,
NH HealthWRQS (web-based reporting and query system)
The Institute was recently awarded the CDC State Assessment Initiative Cooperative Agreement ($1.2 million). In partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Institute proposes to significantly augment the current NH HealthWRQS by: 1) developing a BRFSS web-based module that would allow for the calculation of custom weighted point prevalence estimates for risk factors (and confidence intervals) based on user-defined geographic areas, and 2) developing a healthcare claims module that would estimate the prevalence of disease and provide measures of health care access, and 3) developing a data set and web-based module of local public health program performance measure data, and 4) forming a more comprehensive Community Health Profile that includes NH HealthWRQS Standard Indicators, as well as data from the new modules.
Duration: 2007-2012
Contact: Amy Costello
Funder(s): Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Visit the Website: http://www.nhhealthwrqs.org/
Contracted Services: Health Data Projects Specialist
The Institute provides project management support to the Bureau of Data and Systems Management, Office of Medicaid Business and Policy, DHHS. Specifically, staff are assisting in the revision of the hospital discharge data collection rules, development of community indicator reports for HealthWRQS, and the research and development of quality and safety reports for hospitals by health plan.
Duration: 2005 – present
Contact: Amy Costello
Funder(s): New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Contracted Services: Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologist
As the MCH Epidemiologist for NH DHHS, Dr. Laflamme supports the use data to inform the Maternal and Child Health Section’s multiple programs focused on improving the health of mothers and children throughout NH. He is one of the most active users of the NH Birth Certificate dataset and frequently is called upon to conduct analyses of birth outcomes in NH. He is involved in several maternal and child health data linkage projects and contributes to the NH Performance Management Collaborative. He has presented at the NH DHHS/March of Dimes Prematurity Summit, the NH Public Health Grand Rounds, and various other professional gatherings.
Duration: 2003 – present
Contact: David Laflamme
Funder(s): New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Contracted Services: Policy Analyst
Staff have analyzed financial data, reviewed reimbursement policies, assisted in managed care program development and resolved provider network issues. Other projects include disability case review, analysis of prescription drug use, high cost claims analysis and research on minority health status.
Duration: 2000 – 2006
Contact: Patrick Miller
Funder(s): New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Health Data Inventory
In 2002, the New Hampshire Health Data Inventory (HDI) was created through the Empowering Communities Project. The website is now maintained with funding from the NH Department of Health and Human Services and managed by the Institute. This web-based inventory catalogues and describes available data sets and reports that contain health data relevant to the state of New Hampshire. When available, links to the data steward, data, or report are also provided. The website is regularly updated, and additional data sources are added to the inventory throughout the year. With funding from the ASPE project and Endowment for Health, the website is being redesigned to accommodate and better organize a greater number of data sources. National and other sources of data were added in 2004, with a new look to the website.
Duration: 2002 – present
Contact: Amy Costello
Funder(s): New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Visit the Website: http://www.nhhealthdata.org/
Health Information Privacy and Security Collaboration Project
The Health Information Privacy and Security Collaboration Project is conducting a thorough assessment and analysis of business policies and New Hampshire state laws which will impact the ability to create statewide health information exchange. In addition, the project seeks to provide a forum to initiate a state-wide dialogue on the issue of the balance between medical privacy and improved quality of health care services. The result of this project will be a comprehensive review of the laws and business policies impacting health security and privacy, as well as potential solutions to overcoming barriers to exchanging health information.
Duration: 2006 – present
Contact: Patrick Miller
Funder(s): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Healthcost
In 2005, the Institute was contracted by the New Hampshire Insurance Department to conduct analysis of claims data from 3 insurers, and design a website to help consumers understand the typical prices of common inpatient and outpatient healthcare services. In 2006, the Institute was contracted again for revising the analysis plan and updating the website. Healthcost now provides analysis from the all payer claims database on the typical price paid for common medical procedures in New Hampshire facilities. The Healthcost website seeks to give consumers a better understanding of health care costs to insurers and patients and serve as a resource to help consumers make informed decisions about what type of insurance product may best meet their needs. The website also provides links to information about charity care policies at healthcare facilities in NH, as well as more tools for comparing costs and examining geographic, facility and payer variations in cost and length of stay for common healthcare procedures.
Duration: 2005 – present
Contact: Patrick Miller
Funder(s): New Hampshire Insurance Department
Visit the Website: http://www.nhhealthcost.org/
Healthinfo
Within the last two years, New Hampshire has seen an increase in the number of web-based resources related to the cost and quality of healthcare in New Hampshire. The Institute staff has supported the Citizens Health Initiative by reviewing and selecting several key resources that may be valuable for employers struggling with decisions about health insurance benefits (e.g. rising cost of premiums). The Healthinfo website highlights the value of each of the selected resources in terms of their ability to answer some of New Hampshire employers' burning questions about healthcare costs and quality, and what employers can do to protect and improve the health of employees.
Duration: 2006 – present
Contact: Patrick Miller
Funder(s): NH Endowment for Health, NH Charitable Foundation, Healthy New Hampshire, Local Government Center, Bean Foundation
Visit the Website: http://www.nhhealthinfo.org/
Healthy UNH
HEALTHY UNH is an initiative being formed to address the issues associated with both enhancing the health of our campus community and understanding how best to deliver high value health services to the UNH employee population. This effort is being conducted in concert with USNH healthcare activities, but remains separate and distinct in its mission. The HEALTHY UNH program will employ a “ground up” philosophy of employee engagement and will attempt to integrate long term with all aspects of University life. It is not dissimilar to the University’s Energy Task Force in scope and design. Additionally, USNH is developing efforts in parallel that will both support, and learn from, HEALTHY UNH’s efforts.
Duration: 2008 - 2009
Contact: Heather Staples
Funder(s): University of New Hampshire
Informal Caregivers Project
Our staff has completed a project entitled "Informal Caregivers", a study initiated by the State Division of Elderly and Adult Services. Working closely with the UNH School of Nursing, UNH Cooperative Extension and the UNH Survey Center, over 200 individuals in every county of New Hampshire were interviewed. The purpose of the study is to assess the stresses, service needs, training and support needed for individuals caring for the frail elderly. The study will be available for State policy makers.
Duration: 2002 – 2003
Contact: Amy Philbrick Schwartz
Funder(s): New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
New England Regional Genetics and Newborn Screening Collaborative
The New England Regional Genetics and Newborn Screening Collaborative (New England RC) grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in June, will address the needs of individuals, agencies, and health care providers who interact with and treat individuals with genetic disorders and their families. The $4 million grant, to be received over five years, will provide technical assistance, accessible information, educational opportunities, and other support for public health officials, consumers, advocates, primary and specialty health care providers, and other agencies and individuals who serve as formal and informal supports to those with genetic disorders throughout the New England region.
Duration: 2007 – present
Contact: Amy Philbrick Schwartz
Funder(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
New Hampshire Aging and Disability Resource Center
The New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice at UNH, in cooperation with the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS), has received funding through 2009 for the Aging and Disability Resource Center program across the state of New Hampshire. The first round of funding was granted in 2003.
Duration: 2003 – present
Contact: Laura Davie
Funder(s): Administration on Aging and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Visit the Website: http://www.nhhealthpolicyinstitute.unh.edu/adrc.html
New Hampshire Health Information Center
The Institute works closely with the New Hampshire Health Information Center to support its mission to identify, analyze, disseminate, and provide training about health information to promote informed decision making for the improvement of the health and health care of New Hampshire's citizens. The NHHIC focuses on health information, building products and services complementary to what currently exists to build the capacity to use health information in NH.
Strategic Plan for Arsenic Research in Kids (SPARK)
SPARK is a collaborative research project between Columbia University and NHIHPP that examines the link between arsenic exposure in children and development of cognitive skills. NHIHPP researchers work with New Hampshire and Maine 3rd-5th graders and their families to gather data to be analyzed by Columbia public health laboratories.
Duration: 2006-Present
Contact: Kimberly Persson
Funder: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences