Current Workgroups

Standing SCHSAC
Workgroups

Office of Performance Improvement (OPI)

This SCHSAC workgroup is no longer active.

Performance Improvement and Accreditation Workgroup (2010)

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Charge

Most agree that public health systems around the country will be influenced by a new set of national public health standards and the voluntary national accreditation program scheduled for implementation in 2011. This SCHSAC workgroup will (1) examine the proposed national performance standards and measures for Minnesota’s state and local health departments, (2) explore the implications of these standards and measures for Minnesota, and (3) make recommendations for Minnesota’s public health system.

In exploring implications and making recommendations, the workgroup will consider factors such as:

Minnesota’s current performance improvement and reporting systems and the Essential Local Activities,
The roles and interdependence of state and local health departments in Minnesota,
The interdependence of the proposed national standards for state health departments, and the proposed national standards for local health departments,
Incentives for and benefits of accreditation and/or demonstrated achievement of the standards,
Barriers to accreditation and/or demonstrated achievement of the standards, and
Perceived capacity of Minnesota state and local health departments to demonstrate achievement of the national standards.

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Background

In the landmark 1988 report, The Future of Public Health, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) proposed that in order to measurably improve population health outcomes, a stronger public health infrastructure and a public health system with substantially greater visibility and credibility were urgently needed. The IOM advocated the creation of a national accreditation system for public health departments as a way to achieve both of these needs.

Public Health Accreditation Board

After many years of steady progress toward this recommendation, including development of standards and measures, the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is now in the beta-test phase of a voluntary, national accreditation program for state, territorial, tribal and local public health departments. The goal of the national accreditation program is to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing the quality and performance of state and local public health departments. The PHAB expects to begin accepting applications for accreditation in 2011.

SCHSAC

In 1998 SCHSAC charged a workgroup with developing recommendations for how Minnesota’s public health systems should engage in national discussion on accreditation, and position itself to respond if a national accreditation program was enacted. The 1998 workgroup did not recommend accreditation as a means to ensure acceptable performance, but agreed that establishing consistent program performance expectations and related measurable indicators could promote consistent and improved public health practice in Minnesota. Over the next several years, Minnesota’s state and local public health partnership systematically developed systems and resources designed to improve local public health performance and accountability.

More recently, in the SCHSAC Strategic Plan 2009-2013, SCHSAC proposes to identify issues around voluntary accreditation for MDH and local health departments and develop a framework for implementation. The SCHSAC subsequently included a Performance Improvement and Accreditation workgroup in its 2009 work plan. This work will carry forward into 2010.