Healthcentric Advisors is a proud member of the Long Term Health Planning committee, a group of health sector stakeholders convened by Rhode Island Foundation to develop and oversee a 10-year plan aimed at making Rhode Island the healthiest state in the nation.
Data is a critical tool in realizing the mission of the committee. Data can help drive where to focus quality improvement efforts by identifying areas of poor health outcomes, including systemic barriers and social determinants of health that impact individual and community health.
Healthcentric Advisors was also selected by Rhode Island Foundation to assist the committee with data analysis, research, and project management expertise. Our analysts compiled data from multiple sources to develop and maintain the ongoing administration of the Long Term Health Planning Committee. Our colleagues are also providing project management expertise for the committee and its four subcommittees.
The dashboards indicate where Rhode Island ranks nationally on a comprehensive set of health-related outcome measures. Performance will be tracked over time to allow the committee to measure progress in achieving its 10-year health improvement plan for Rhode Island. When available, a focus on disparities within a measure are provided, by stratifying measure performance by categories such as, race, age and gender. The healthcare measures are composed of six domains: health equity, clinical care, access and affordability, healthcare quality, health behaviors, and health outcomes. The dashboard also shows us how the state stacks up on important health equity factors like housing, food insecurity, or transportation.
The overarching plan, Health in Rhode Island, issued in January 2020 by the Long Term Health Planning committee, seeks to “identify the most pressing needs and commit to state-level coordination and institutional decision-making that will address those needs over the long-term. In doing so, the group developed – and each member has endorsed – a vision, set of goals, guiding principles, priorities and associated strategies.”
The priorities are:
- Providing the most appropriate care for people in the most appropriate setting.
- Focusing upstream on root causes and investing in affordable housing, food security and transportation to address underlying inequities and influencers of health disparities.
- Improving behavioral health outcomes by focusing on access to care, coordination of care and prevention.
- Reducing wasteful spending in order to redirect resources to social determinants and improve affordability.
- Ensuring sustainability, accountability and oversight of the group’s vision and maintaining progress in key areas where Rhode Island performs well.
