University of Kentucky From the SelectedWorks of Glen Mays Fall September 5, 2013 Public Health Services & Systems Research: Concepts, Methods, and Emerging Findings Glen Mays, University of Kentucky Available at: https://works.bepress.com/glen_mays/105/
Public Health Services & Systems Research: Concepts, Methods, and Emerging Findings Glen Mays, PhD, MPH University of Kentucky glen.mays@uky.edu
Fundamental health system performance WHO 2010
Geographic variation in population health Source: Commonwealth Fund 2012
Preventable disease burden and national health spending >75% of national health spending is attributable to conditions that are largely preventable Cardiovascular disease Diabetes Lung diseases Cancer Injuries Vaccine-preventable diseases and sexually transmitted infections <5% of national health spending is allocated to public health and prevention CDC 2008 and CMS 2011
Public health activities Organized programs, policies, and laws to prevent disease and injury and promote health on a population-wide basis Epidemiologic surveillance & investigation Community health assessment & planning Communicable disease control Chronic disease and injury prevention Health education and communication Environmental health monitoring and assessment Enforcement of health laws and regulations Inspection and licensing Inform, advise, and assist school-based, worksitebased, and community-based health programming and roles in assuring access to medical care
Public health delivery systems National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems, 2012
Public health services & systems research A field of inquiry examining the organization, financing, and delivery of public health services at local, state and national levels, and the impact of these activities on population health Mays, Halverson, and Scutchfield. 2003
Why study public health delivery? The Committee had hoped to provide specific guidance elaborating on the types and levels of workforce, infrastructure, related resources, and financial investments necessary to ensure the availability of essential public health services to all of the nation s communities. However, such evidence is limited, and there is no agenda or support for this type of research, despite the critical need for such data to promote and protect the nation s health. Institute of Medicine, 2003
PHSSR s place in the continuum Intervention Research What works proof of efficacy Controlled trials Guide to Community Preventive Services Services/Systems Research How to organize, implement and sustain in the real-world Reach Enforcement/Compliance Quality/Effectiveness Cost/Efficiency Equity/Disparities Impact on population health Comparative effectiveness & efficiency
PHSSR and policy relevance Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010
Public Health System Resources & expertise Participation incentives Needs Preferences Risks Threats Resources Population & Environment Perceptions Mays et al 2009 Complexity in public health delivery Scope of Breadth of Scale of activity organizations operations Division of responsibility Compatibility of missions Distribution of effort Nature & intensity of relationships Strategic Decisions Scope of services Staffing levels & mix Public Health Agency Legal authority Funding levels Governing & mix structure Leadership Intergovernmental relationships Outputs and Outcomes Reach Effectiveness Timeliness Decision Support Accreditation Performance measures Practice guidelines Adherence to EBPs Efficiency Equity
Emerging evidence: organization and structure Who contributes to public health delivery? How are roles and responsibilities divided? How and why do delivery systems vary and change over time? How do system structures affect public health delivery and outcomes?
Data: public health production National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems Cohort of 360 communities with at least 100,000 residents Followed over time: 1998, 2006, 2012 Measured from local public health official s perspective: Scope: availability of 20 recommended public health activities Network: types of organizations contributing to each activity Effort: contributed by designated local public health agency Quality: perceived effectiveness of each activity
National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems Delivery of recommended public health activities % of activities 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Assurance Policy Assessment 1998 2006 2012 10% 5%
Organizations engaged in local public health delivery % Change 2006-2012 Scope of Delivery 2012-50% -30% -10% 10% 30% 50% Local health agency Other local government State health agency Other state government Hospitals Physician practices Community health centers Health insurers Employers/business Schools CBOs National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems, 2012
Estimated Complementarity and Substitution Effects on Local Health Department Contributions Results from Multivariate GLLAMM Models CHCs Physicians Employers Insurers Hospitals -0.3-0.2-0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Estimated Contribution Effects on Quantity of Public Health Services Results from Multivariate GLLAMM Models CHCs Physicians Employers Insurers Hospitals -0.3-0.2-0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Estimated Contribution Effects on Quality of Public Health Services Results from Multivariate GLLAMM Models CHCs Physicians Employers Insurers Hospitals -0.3-0.2-0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Estimated Contribution Effects on Local Public Health Expenditures Results from Multivariate GLLAMM Models CHCs Physicians Employers Insurers Hospitals.. 0. -40-20 0. 0 20 0. 40 0. 60 0. 80 100.
Estimated Effects of Institutional and Market Incentives on Hospital Contributions Results from Multivariate GLLAMM Models Elasticity Estimates Variable Overall Assessment Policy Assurance Percent residents uninsured -0.190** -0.309** -0.215** -0.010 Charity care costs/capita (1000s) -0.265 0.073-0.533-0.441 Any hospitals located in the area 0.769** 0.736* 0.662* 1.113* Number of hospitals Any -0.056** -0.036-0.070* -0.065 Market concentration (HHI index) -0.050 0.026-0.004-0.232** Market share of nonprofit hospitals 0.001-0.060-0.036 0.154* **p<0.05 *p<0.10
Scope of hospital contributions 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Estimated Crowd-out Effect 0 5 10 15 20 25 Community uninsured rate Holding all other variables constant in the model
% of communities A typology of public health delivery systems 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1998 2006 2012 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Scope High High High Mod Mod Low Low Centralization Mod Low High High Low High Low Integration High High Low Mod Mod Low Mod Comprehensive Conventional Limited Source: Mays et al. 2010; 2012
Fixed-effects models control for population size, density, age composition, poverty status, racial composition, and physician supply Changes in health associated with delivery system Percent Changes in Preventable Mortality Rates by System Typology (cluster) 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 Infant Deaths/1000 Live Births Births 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0-2.0-4.0-6.0 2.0 1.0 0.0-1.0-2.0 Cancer deaths/100,000 population Clusters 1-33 Clusters 4-5 Cluster 6 Cluster 7 Influenza Deaths/100,000 Clusters 1-3 3 Clusters 4-5 Cluster 6 Cluster 7-0.1 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 Clusters Cluster 1-33 Clusters 4-5 Cluster 6 Cluster 7 Heart Disease Deaths/100,000 Clusters 1-33 Clusters 4-5 Cluster 6 Cluster 7 Infectious Disease Deaths/100,000 Clusters 1-3 3 Clusters 4-5 Cluster 6 Cluster 7
100% 90% 80% Economies of scale and scope in public health delivery systems Jurisdiction Size 500k+ 70% 60% 50% 50k 499k 40% 30% 20% 10% <50k 0% % of Agencies % of Population Served Source: 2010 NACCHO National Profile of Local Health Departments Survey
Cost ($1000s) $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $0 Empirical estimates of scale and scope economies Scale (Population in 1000s) $1,500 $1,000 $500 $0 0 200 400 600 800 1000 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% $5,000 $2,000 Scope (% of Activities) Quality (Perceived Effectiveness) Cost ($1000s) $4,000 $3,000 $2,000 $1,000 $0 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Simulated Effects of Regionalization 15% 10% Percent Change 5% 0% -5% -10% -15% -20% Per Capita Cost Scope Quality <25,000 <50,000 <100,000 <150,000 Regionalization Thresholds
Emerging evidence: finance and economics How does public health spending vary across communities and change over time? What are the health effects attributable to changes in public health spending? What are the medical cost effects attributable to changes in public health spending? What are the opportunities for improving efficiency in public health delivery?
Public health s share of national health spending $Billions $90 $80 $70 $60 $50 USDHHS National Health Expenditure Accounts State and Local Federal %NHE 3.50% 3.00% 2.50% 2.00% $40 $30 $20 $10 $ 1.50% 1.00% 0.50% $0 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 0.00%
Factors driving growth in medical spending per case Roehrig et al. Health Affairs 2011
Variation in Local Public Health Spending Percent of communities 0.05.1.15 Gini = 0.485 $0 $50 $100 $150 $200 $250 Expenditures per capita, 2010
Changes in Local Public Health Spending 1993-2010 Percent of communities 0.05.1.15.2.25 38% decline 62% growth -100-50 0 50 100 Change in per-capita expenditures ($)
Determinants of Local Public Health Spending Levels Unexplained 34% Governance & decisionmaking 17% Service mix 16% Demographic, health & economic 33% Delivery system size & structure Service mix Population needs and risks Efficiency & uncertainty Mays et al. 2009
2 Mortality reductions attributable to local public health spending, 1993-2008 Infant mortality Heart disease Diabetes Cancer Influenza All-cause Alzheimers Injury 1 0-1 Percent change -2-3 -4-5 -6-7 -8-9 Hierarchical regression estimates with instrumental variables to correct for selection and unmeasured confounding Mays et al. 2011
Effects of public health spending on medical care spending 1993-2008 Change in Medical Care Spending Per Capita Attributable to 1% Increase in Public Health Spending Per Capita Model N Elasticity S.E. One year lag 8532-0.088 0.013 *** Five year lag 6492-0.112 0.053 ** Ten year lag 4387-0.179 0.112 log regression estimates controlling for community-level and state-level characteristics *p<0.10 **p<0.05 ***p<0.01
Estimated value of public health spending 10% increase in public health spending in average community: Public health cost $594,291 Medical cost offset -$515,114 (Medicare only) LY gained 148 Net cost/ly $534
Conclusions: getting inside the box Engagement of practice and research partners Better measures and data sources Research designs in real-world settings What works best in which settings and why Informed public health decisions Smarter investments and greater value
For More Information Supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Glen P. Mays, Ph.D., M.P.H. glen.mays@uky.edu Email: publichealthpbrn@uky.edu Web: www.publichealthsystems.org Journal: www.frontiersinphssr.org University of Kentucky College of Public Health Lexington, KY