Results can be measured for strategies that are clear and well grounded in science. Many health policy strategies are neither clear nor well grounded. And so, fuzzy un-measurable results are the norm for health policy programs rather than the exception. Metrics for results come directly from the data and the science.
Example of a past project . . .
- find an employer group’s major cost driver, recommend an action plan, and create a metric for measuring success.
For one client, I determined that motor vehicle accidents were a significant cost, specifically motor cycles and snowmobiles. The science showed that safety training would reduce the number and severity of accidents. Now the client could make informed decisions about paying employees an incentive for getting the training or hosting the training during company time. It also created the metric for measuring results: the number of accidents (from diagnostic data on the medical claims) can easily be tracked, as can the cost per accident claim.
With the right tools and approach, health policy strategies can bring measurable results. It’s a matter of defining the issue and applying the science – my specialty exactly! |
