Friday, May 09, 2003

Exploring Healthcare Quality and Effectiveness at Federally-Funded Community Health Centers: Results from the Patient Experience Evaluation Report System (1993-2001)
Report from the National Association of Community Health Centers available at the Open Minds web site - "This report presents the results of a major evaluation of the performance of federally-supported Community Health Centers. The findings presented here show that health centers furnish care of high quality, as measured not only by clinical health quality measures but also from patient information regarding their health care experiences. The data from which these findings have been drawn come from two point- in- time performance evaluations that permit comparison over time. The results of these studies indicate sustained and improved clinical care quality and patient satisfaction levels over a decade, even as health centers have experienced a significant growth in the proportion of uninsured and vulnerable patients they serve."  
  

GAO Report on Child Placements Paints Bleak Picture of Systems
Mental Health Weekly article at Medscape - "A documented 12,700 children were placed in state child welfare systems or county juvenile justice systems in fiscal year 2001 for the sole reason that parents saw no other way to obtain needed mental health care for them, according to a report released last week by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO). What's perhaps most shocking about these numbers is that they probably vastly underestimate the practices, because governments do not routinely track youths placed in agency systems for this reason." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].