RESEARCH UPDATE
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Health Services Administration Volume IX 2014
PATIENT-CENTEREDNESS AND HEALTH SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION
In this Research Update, we are pleased to present highlights of the research enterprise in the Department of Health Services Administration (HSA) in the UAB School of Health Professions. Our faculty, students, and alumni continue to make important strides in fulfilling our vision to “shape the future of health care.” As health care reform unfolds, important changes are occurring throughout the US health system. One such change is the increasing emphasis on patientcenteredness and efforts to improve the patient experience throughout the continuum of care. This includes quality improvement initiatives to improve Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) scores, and experimentation with new care models such as patient centered medical homes (PCMH) and integrated delivery systems. Here we highlight some of HSA’s accomplishments in research activities in these areas. Dr. Robert Weech-Maldonado has been collaborating with RAND colleagues since the inception of CAHPS. Recently, he led the development and testing of the CAHPS cultural competence item set, which includes measures on trust, perceived discrimination, and access to language services. In addition, using the Cultural Competency Assessment Tool for Hospitals (CCATH), he has shown that hospitals with greater adoption of cultural competency practices achieve better Health CAHPS scores. Dr. Larry Hearld and Dr. Ria Hearld have examined organizational and community factors associated with PCMH implementation. Their research suggests that PCMH capabilities may not be evenly distributed across communities and raise questions about whether such distributional differences influence the PCMH’s ability to improve population health, especially among vulnerable populations. Several faculty members have explored the use of information technology in promoting patient
engagement. Dr. Eta Berner, Dr. Shannon Houser and Ms. Midge Ray and colleagues found that the use of an interactive voice response system can be an effective mechanism for primary care follow-up especially among sicker patients. Ms. Midge Ray and Dr. Jessica Williams found that email referrals were more effective than paper referrals in promoting patient use of a smoking cessation website. Dr. Haiyan Qu has been a scientific reviewer for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) since 2013, and is currently a co-investigator in a PCORI-funded project on “Individualized Patient Decision Making for Treatment Choices among Minorities with Lupus.” In addition, some of our recent PhD and DSc graduates have worked with faculty on the theoretical and applied aspects of patientcentered care. Dr. Sheikilya Thomas (PhD) explored the predictors of patient trust and its role in utilization and outcomes. Dr. Polly Davenport (DSc) examined the relationship between ED wait times and inpatient satisfaction. Dr. Mary Temm (DSc) conducted an analysis of the effects of PCMH capabilities on costs. And Dr. Timothy Harlin (DSc) studied the relationship between employee and patient driven system outputs. Drs. Rob Weech-Maldonado, Steve O’Connor, Larry Hearld, and Bob Hernandez were the doctoral committee chairs, respectively. This theme of patient-centeredness was further accentuated during the 2014 L.R. (Rush) Jordan Distinguished Lecture by Dr. Rhonda Scott, Chief Nursing Officer and Executive VP for Patient Care Services at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, GA. In her talk “The Courage to Lead: An Unwavering Commitment to Excellence,” she described the journey of Grady in transforming its organizational culture to emphasize quality, service excellence, and people. This has resulted in a nationally top performing system in patient satisfaction, with improved financial performance, as well.
In This Issue: HSA Welcomes a New Department Chair New HSA Faculty
3-5
Recent HSA Faculty Publications HSA Alumni Highlights
2
6-10
11