Improving Children's Health Through Health Services Research

Children's Health Services Researchers Meeting

Children's Health Services Researchers Meeting

Improving Children's Health Through Health Services Research was a special 1-day meeting held June 26, 1999, in Chicago. The state of the science in children's health services research was explored, including public and private funding opportunities, networks for conducting research, and uses of research in policy and practice. The meeting was co-sponsored by the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI), with the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Association for Health Services Research (AHSR), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Data Harbor, Inc.

Welcome and Introduction

James E. Shmerling, M.B.A.
Chair, Council on Child Health Financing
National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions
President
LeBonheur Children's Medical Center, Inc.
Memphis, TN

W. David Helms, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Association for Health Services Research
Washington, DC

Children's Health Services Research: An Overview

This presentation reviews the evolution of the children's health services research field; describes the current environment that is creating the demand for research results; and highlights the field's recent accomplishments, new initiatives, and future directions.

Lisa Simpson, M.B., B.Ch., M.P.H.
Deputy Administrator
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Rockville, MD

State of the Science

Moderator:

Barbara Starfield, M.D., M.P.H.
University Distinguished Service Professor
Professor, Health Policy
John Hopkins University
School of Hygiene and Public Health
Baltimore, MD

Evolution of Pediatric Outcomes Research

Carolyn Clancy, M.D.
Director, Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
Rockville, MD

Translating Research into Practice: Quality Measurement and Improvement

Kevin B. Weiss, M.D., M.P.H.
Director, Center for Health Services Research
Rush Primary Care Institute
Chicago, IL

Pushing the Envelope: Children's Health Services Research in Communities

David Olds, Ph.D.
Professor, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Preventative Medicine
Director, Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Denver, CO

Overview of Congressional Interest in Children's Health and Children's Health Services Research

Peters D. Willson
Vice President, Public Policy
National Association of Children's Hospitals
Alexandria, VA

Building Capacity: Training

What's New, What Needs to Change

Panelists highlighted innovative training programs and outlined challenges they face when preparing pediatricians and researchers for the future. In addition, participants explored changes in the children's health services research training curriculum and how to facilitate recommendations for improvement.

Moderator:

Michael Weitzman, M.D.
Chief of Pediatrics
Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY

Panelists:

Charles Homer, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics,
Harvard University Medical School
Director, Clinical Effectiveness Program
Children's Hospital, Boston, MA

Charles E. Irwin, Jr., M.D.
Professor, Pediatrics
Director, Division of Adolescent Medicine
Vice President, Academic General Pediatrics
University of California—San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

John Pestian, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Director, Clinical Outcomes
Center for Pediatric Research
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Health System
Norfolk, VA

New Policy Developments

Opportunities and Challenges for Children's Health Services Research

Panelists presented their views of upcoming policy developments in children's and adolescents' health services and challenges in the research community.

Moderator:

Patricia MacTaggart
Director, Center for Medicaid and State Operations
Health Care Financing Administration
Baltimore, MD

Panelists:

Linda Bilheimer, Ph.D.
Deputy Assistant Director for Health
Congressional Budget Office
Washington, DC

Alan Weil, J.D., M.P.P.
Director, Assessing the New Federalism
The Urban Institute
Washington, DC

Lois Salisbury, J.D.
President
Children NOW
Oakland CA

Funding

Funding Opportunities in Children's Health Services Research

A panel of private funders and public funding agencies provided researchers and children's health services professionals with an opportunity to learn about current funding priorities, important sources for potential funding, and how to effectively tap into those resources.

Moderator:

Shirley Girouard, Ph.D., R.N.
Vice President, Child Health and Financing
National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions Alexandria, VA

Panelists:

Gontran Lamberty, Dr.P.H.
Director
Maternal and Child Health Bureau Research Program
Rockville, MD

Denise Dougherty, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Child and Adolescent Health Activities
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Rockville, MD

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Bethesda, MD

Building Capacity: Research Networks

Using Networks to Conduct Children's Health Services Research

This panel described how children's hospitals and other health organizations have successfully developed and conducted research initiatives important to the health of children. Participants discussed strategies for network implementation and how to overcome common challenges.

Moderator:

James E. Shmerling, M.B.A.
President
LeBonheur Children's Medical Center, Inc.
Memphis, TN

Managed Care Research Networks

Andrew Nelson, M.P.H.
Executive Director
Health Partners Research Foundation
Bloomington, MN

Pediatric Research in the Office Setting (PROS)

Emalee G. Flaherty, M.D.
Medical Director, Protective Service Team
Children's Memorial Hospital
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Northwestern University School of Medicine
Coordinator for the State of Illinois, PROS
Chicago, IL

NACHRI/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cooperative Agreement

Shirley Girouard, Ph.D., R.N.
Vice President, Child Health and Financing
National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions
Alexandria, VA

New Policy Developments

Using Data for Policy and Practice

How do researchers use data responsibly to influence policy and shape practice? From three distinct perspectives, this session explored using research to effectively influence policy; feasible ways to use research in clinical practice, and the use of research in government decision making. Panelists provided examples of how data has been used to improve the organization, delivery, and financing of health care for children.

Moderator:

Arthur F. Kohrman, M.D.
Associate Chair for Advocacy
The Children's Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL

Panelist:

Jane Holl, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Northwestern University Medical School
Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies
Division of General Pediatrics
The Children's Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL

Richard H. Sewell, M.P.H.
Executive Director
Chicago Health Policy Council
Center for Health Administration Studies
The University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

Steve A. Freedman, Ph.D.
Executive Director and Professor
Institute for Child Health Policy
Gainesville, FL

Funding

Grantsmanship and Mock Study Review

What happens to a grant application once it is submitted? From review procedures to "the check is in the mail," panelists outlined the funding process. In an interactive discussion and mock study review, participants had an opportunity to ask important funding questions and fine-tune their grantsmanship skills.

Moderator and Grantsmanship:

Linda Blankenbaker
Acting Director, Scientific Review Division
Office of Research Review, Education, and Policy
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
Rockville, MD

Panelists:

Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D.
Director, Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
Rockville, MD

Anne Gadomski, M.D., M.P.H.
Research Scientist and Attending Physician
Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital—Research Institute
Cooperstown, NY

Jose Julio Escarce, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Natural Scientist
RAND
Santa Monica, CA

Wrap-up and Next Steps

Neal Halfon, M.D., M.P.H.
Director, Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities
UCLA, School of Public Health
Los Angeles, CA

Current as of June 1999

Internet Citation:

Improving Children's Health Through Health Services Research: Children's Health Services Researchers Meeting. June 1999. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/chsr1.htm