Improving Health Care Delivery Data Project

Creating an Indian Health Service data infrastructure to provide critical information on health status, utilization, and treatment costs

Description

The goal of the IHS Improving Health Care Delivery Data Project was to create an Indian Health Service (IHS) data infrastructure to provide information on health status, utilization, and treatment costs to inform the identification and prioritization of effective strategies for chronic disease management and to improve health outcomes among American Indians and Alaska Native peoples (AI/ANs). The project data were used specifically to assess strategies for providing health services for AI/ANs with diabetes or cardiovascular disease (CVD) through two objectives:

1. Develop a longitudinal data infrastructure from existing electronic data stored on multiple platforms to provide information about AI/AN health status and IHS health service utilization and treatment costs.
2. Conduct a comparative effectiveness research study on strategies implemented to reduce CVD risk among AI/ANs with diabetes or CVD using the data infrastructure.

Partners

• Indian Health Service
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Denver Health 

The AHRQ contract was awarded to Denver Health. Denver Health subcontracted with CAIANH to implement the project and provided administrative project support.

Outcomes

The IHS Improving Health Care Delivery Data Project provided IHS and the collaborating project sites critical information on the health status, service utilization, and treatment costs for close to 30 percent of the fiscal year 2010 IHS active user population. 

For more information, see the report, ARRA ACTION: Comparative Effectiveness of Health Care Delivery Systems for American Indians and Alaska Natives Using Enhanced Data Infrastructure.