Implementation of the Affordable Care Act

Transcription

1 HRSA - Bureau of Health Professions Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program Aligning AHEC Priorities with the Changing Health Care Environment Technical Assistance Webinar January 9, 2013 Janet Heinrich, Dr.PH, RN, FAAN Associate Administrator Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

2 Implementation of the Affordable Care Act Challenges and Opportunities for AHECs: Ability to meet the increasing demands for the health care workforce particularly primary care Distribution of health professions workforce particularly in rural and remote underserved areas Diversity of health professions workforce that reflects the nation s population Expansion of collaborative practice and team-based models of care 2

3 Primary Care Workforce Strategy: Expand primary care workforce supply, capacity and distribution through stronger education and training opportunities Trends Focus on primary care and preventive services Expansion of health insurance coverage to serve 30+ million individuals Increased enrollment in medical schools, Advanced Practice Nursing and Physician Assistant (PA) programs 3

4 AHEC s Experience Primary Care Workforce (cont.) Long standing history of academic linkages with community-based training collaborations Community-based primary care clinical rotations for health professions students including medicine, nursing, PA in medically underserved communities urban and rural Collaborations with health centers Implications for AHEC Greater opportunities to integrate public health and primary care Increased need for placement of students in community-based primary care settings Expansion of outreach and enrollment to increase health insurance coverage 4

5 Interprofessional Education Strategy: Promote interprofessional education (IPE), training and team-based practice to assure quality care Trends Interprofessional team-based care an innovative model of care Focus on improved patient safety and clinical outcomes 5

6 Interprofessional Education (cont.) AHEC s Experience Proven track-record of IPE involvement (48% of AHEC programs are engaged in IPE) 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement highlighted IPE as a priority area The National Coordinating Center for IPE and Collaborative Practice is affiliated with an AHEC Program Implications for AHEC Opportunities to assist with training of primary care sites to meet National Committee for Quality Assurance patient centered medical home standards Opportunities to increase community-academic collaborations to foster IPE 6

7 Workforce Diversity Strategy: Improve health workforce diversity to reflect the population it serves Trends Aging population Increasing growth trend of diverse populations Increase in the number of individuals from diverse backgrounds receiving primary care health services 7

8 AHEC s Experience Workforce Diversity (cont.) Long-standing track record of recruitment and training of students from underrepresented, minority, rural and disadvantaged populations Assisting the above populations to gain access to National Health Service Corps for Loan Repayment and Scholarships Programs Providing access to community-based training sites serving culturally diverse populations Implications for AHEC Ability to provide training to respond to the needs of the changing population Need to continue to increase diversity of the health professions workforce 8

9 Outcome Evaluation Strategy: Conduct evaluations to assess short and long term program performance and effectiveness Trends Focus on longitudinal program evaluations and outcomes measurement Demonstration of program effectiveness in key areas (workforce distribution, diversity, expansion of primary care, IPE) 9

10 AHEC s Experience Outcome Evaluation (cont.) Developed logic models to formulate performance measures Increasing the capacity of AHEC program and center staff to carryout evaluations Continuing effort to improve program evaluations and program outcomes Implications for AHEC Assess the key outcomes for health professions training programs Determine how the AHEC Program contributes to program outcomes of health professions training programs 10

11 Aligning Priority Areas with AHEC Legislative Requirements Section 751(c)(1)(B) and 751(c)(1)(C) Primary Care Diverse Healthcare Workforce Underserved Areas Health Disparity Populations Section 751(c)(1)(D) Interdisciplinary/Interprofessional Education Section 751(c)(1)(F) Outcomes Measurement and Program Evaluation 11

12 AHEC Challenges AHEC Challenges and Strategies Limited resources at state and federal levels Broad range of activities to meet legislative requirements and community-based needs Potential Strategies to Address Streamline activities Select priority areas from the legislative requirements Identify each individual AHEC center s strengths and areas of focus Establish and strengthen long-term program evaluation 12

13 AHEC Challenges and Strategies (cont d) Potential Strategies to Address Demonstrate outcomes related to workforce distribution, diversity, expansion of primary care and IPE Identify HRSA and other federal programs which benefit from AHEC collaborations and contributions Promote and market the AHEC program as a key disseminator to and connector with the community and community-based organizations 13

14 Questions? 14

15 Contact Janet Heinrich, DrPH, RN, FAAN Associate Administrator U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professions