Current Activities at Rutgers Center for State Health Policy

The following list provides information on research projects currently underway at CSHP. To help you navigate, projects are divided by core area (Access and Coverage, Health and Long-Term Care Workforce, Health System Performance Improvement,  Long-Term Care and Support Services, Childhood Obesity, and Cross Cutting and Other Projects). They are listed by project name, funding agent, a brief description of the project, and the name of a contact person who, upon request, will be able to provide you with more information.

 
Access and Coverage

NJ Consumer Voices for Immigrants & Health Insurance Coverage in NJ
New Jersey Citizen Action

CSHP will prepare a policy paper describing the role of immigration status on health insurance coverage in New Jersey, reviewing policies in New Jersey and other states related to covering immigrants, and identifying policy options for improving coverage of immigrants in New Jersey. CSHP will analyze the NJ Family Health Survey (2008) to describe the relationship of immigration status to key health variables.

For more information, e-mail:
Marsha Rosenthal, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor

Evaluating the Extension of Dependent Coverage to Young Adults
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (SHARE)

CSHP will conduct an in-depth study of state policies (in NJ and around the nation) that permit young adults to remain as dependents on their parents’ health insurance plans through early adulthood. These policies are intended to reduce the percentage of young adults without coverage. Funded under Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s SHARE initiative, this project builds on CSHP’s substantial work on state coverage policy.

For more information, e-mail:
Margaret Koller, MS, Executive Director

Evaluation of NJ Partnership to Improve Minority Health
NJ Department of Health and Senior Services

The scope of this proposal is to develop a self-assessment tool for the NJDHSS to collect programmatic data annually. The survey will be used to assess the extent that health disparities initiatives are making progress in reaching minorities statewide. The survey will be administered yearly for the length of the project (5 years) by the Office of Minority and Multicultural Health. Additionally, CSHP will evaluate survey data and prepare required reports.

For more information, e-mail: cshp_info@ifh.rutgers.edu

Health and Long-Term Care Workforce

Evaluating Innovations in Nursing Education (EIN National Program Office) - Year 1
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

EIN will support evaluations of interventions that address the nurse faculty shortage by expanding enrollment and teaching capacity in schools of nursing or improving faculty work-life and retention. The National Program Office provides leadership for the grant-making cycles, provides technical assistance to grantees, and establishes national benchmark measures of the status of the faculty shortage in nursing schools across the country.

For more information, e-mail:
Michael Yedidia , M.P.H., Ph.D., Research Professor
Nurse Delegation in New Jersey Home and Community Settings
NJDHS, Division of Disability Services

This project will evaluate a pilot program of nurse delegation of health maintenance tasks to individuals in home and community settings by nurses in participating NJ home health agencies.

For more information, e-mail:
Jennifer Farnham, M.S., Senior Research Analyst

Health System Performance Improvement

Statewide Survey of New Jersey Health Information Technology Infrastructure
New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI)

This project, under the auspices of the State Coordinator of NJ e-HIT, will gather information from stakeholder organizations in New Jersey regarding use of electronic health records. The Center for State Health Policy will conduct key informant interviews and focus groups to identify what is already known about health information exchanges within the state and consolidate this information to identify gaps in knowledge. Project staff will also review survey instruments from other states and assist in defining objectives for future data gathering to assist in planning the development of interoperable health information technology throughout New Jersey.

For more information, e-mail:
Dorothy Gaboda, M.S.W., Ph.D., Associate Director for Data Analysis

Bridging the Gap between EMS and Health Services Research: A Conference for Researchers and Practitioners
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ)

This project will organize a conference to bring together EMS providers, hospital mangers, policymakers, and researchers to integrate EMS activity into health services research, policymaking, and quality measurement.

For more information, e-mail:
Derek DeLia, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor

Enhanced Diabetes Education for New Brunswick’s High Risk Population: Teaching Pharmacy Students to Serve as Health Navigators
Johnson & Johnson

This project will develop an enhanced diabetes education program to improve patient self-management of the condition among high risk patients in New Brunswick. Program partners include CSHP and the Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University with the Chandler Health Center of UMDNJ-RWJ Medical School. It will also provide additional training for pharmacy students on their clinical rotation, and uses patient education videos to offer an effective service for low income patients in New Brunswick.

For more information, e-mail:
Marsha Rosenthal, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor

Policy Synthesis on Emergency Department Utilization and Capacity
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

This project will provide a thorough summary and critique of the research literature on ED utilization and capacity and draw implications for health policy.

For more information, e-mail:
Derek DeLia, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor

Effects of Hospital Closure on Healthcare Quality
Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ)

This project concerns a multi-state study on an issue that is exceptionally timely in New Jersey: how quality of care changes for people living in markets in which hospitals close. Furthermore, it will help build CSHP’s database of hospital-related measures while supporting future projects concerning quality of care, safety net, and related research agendas.

For more information, e-mail:
Derek DeLia, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor

Analytic Support for the Commonwealth Fund State Scorecard on Health Care System Performance 2
The Commonwealth Fund

With this grant, CSHP will work with The Commonwealth Fund to prepare the first update of the State Scorecard and improve measurement of health system performance using new indicators and data where available. The new scorecard will also highlight trends in state performance from the previous two years. Findings will be targeted to state and federal policy leaders and health system leaders, who will use the information to help set priorities for remedial action.

For more information, e-mail:
Dina Belloff, M.A., Senior Research Analyst
Evaluation of New Jersey Health Initiative Expecting Success: Excellence in Cardiac Care
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (NJHI)

This project is a multifaceted evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's New Jersey Health Initiatives Expecting Success: Excellence in Cardiac Care (NJHI ES). The goals of NJHI ES are to improve congestive heart failure care for African Americans and Latinos in New Jersey, to develop replicable quality improvement to strategies and models, to encourage the spread of these strategies and models outside of cardiac care, and to disseminate relevant lessons to policy and provider audiences. CSHP will 1) track New Jersey state policy related to hospital quality and provide a communication link with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, 2) provide a descriptive analysis of NJHI ES applicants and grantees compared to other NJ hospitals, 3) track congestive heart failure scores released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and analyze the progress of grantee hospitals in contrast with appropriate comparison groups, and 4) document project implementation through qualitative analysis.

For more information, e-mail: cshp_info@ifh.rutgers.edu

NJ Hospital Quality Initiative
The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey

The purpose of this project is to establish a New Jersey hospital quality improvement initiative targeted to improve the treatment of hospitalized patients with heart failure. New Jersey hospitals facing challenges in improving heart failure quality indicators were invited to join this initiative. Through intensive technical assistance, the hospitals will target specific improvements that will be identified and tracked. This project is co-sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and is conducted in conjunction with the New Jersey Hospital Association Quality Institute.

For more information, e-mail:
Marsha Rosenthal, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor

New Jersey Family Health Survey
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

A survey of a representative sample of 2,500 New Jersey families is currently underway to gather data on:

     • Health insurance coverage
     • Health care access, utilization, and satisfaction with special emphasis on emergency
       department use, health literacy, and the doctor-patient relationship
     • Health-related behaviors and perceptions including those related to physical activity and
       nutrition
     • Health status and attitudes about health care
     • Demographic, socioeconomic, and employment characteristics

The 2009 NJFHS interviews are being conducted by landline and wireless telephones. The sample is designed to enable in-depth analysis of two groups of special policy interest, young adults and low-income families. Sampling weights will be used to assure that the NJFHS is demographically representative of all New Jersey household residents. The 2009 NJFHS will provide an update of the 2001 New Jersey Family Health Survey on key measures of the health and health care of New Jersey residents. The first results of the new NJFHS will be available in the fall of 2009.

For more information, e-mail:
Susan Brownlee, Ph.D., Survey Analyst
Long-Term Care and Support Services

New Jersey Systems Transformation Grant
New Jersey Department of Human Services

The Center is providing technical assistance for strategic planning and implementation of the New Jersey Systems Transformation project.

For more information, e-mail:
Jennifer Farnham, M.S., Senior Research Analyst

Strategic Planning on Long-Term Care Reform
Arkansas Department of Health & Human Services

The Center is providing technical assistance for strategic planning and implementation of the Arkansas Systems Transformation project. CSHP will continue providing technical assistance as the state implements the goals of their grant.

For more information, e-mail:
Jennifer Farnham, M.S., Senior Research Analyst

Childhood Obesity
New Jersey Childhood Obesity Study
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

CSHP will provide an in-depth analysis of childhood obesity in five NJ communities. This major initiative aims to support the development of obesity prevention strategies in each of these communities as well as to serve as the baseline for the evaluation of those strategies. The work will involve family surveys and analysis of other available data in addition to using the NJ Family Health Survey developed and implemented by the Center.

For more information, e-mail:
Michael Yedidia , M.P.H., Ph.D., Research Professor
Cross Cutting and Other Projects
Environmental Scan and Strategic Planning Consultation with NJHI
New Jersey Health Initiatives

CSHP is providing consultation services and strategic planning assistance to the New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI) by completing three annual environmental scans identifying key health policy issues in the state and potential priorities for interventions. The scan will consist of qualitative interviews with policymakers, stakeholders, and grant makers in an effort to learn more about areas of opportunity for NJHI’s grant making program. The project team will also review literature and other documents necessary to provide NJHI with expert analysis to inform the discussion around the selected content areas. Furthermore, the Center will develop an confidential web-based survey that will be sent to past NJHI grantees to learn more about the factors that cause their clients to require specific services.

For more information, e-mail:
Margaret Koller, MS, Executive Director
Staff Support for Rutgers Community Health Foundation (RCHF) Program Development
Rutgers Community Health Foundation

This project will provide staff support to the President, Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Rutgers Community Health Foundation, including communication with grantees and preparation of reports and meeting minutes as necessary. It will also serve as a liaison between RCHF Board and grantees and as a point of contact for inquiries regarding the RCHF.

For more information, e-mail: cshp_info@ifh.rutgers.edu
Informing, Supporting and Stimulating Health Policy in New Jersey
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

This grant will enable the Center to continue to serve New Jersey’s policymakers’ needs and to expand its role in shaping health policy in the state. The award will be used to extend the Center’s leadership in its well established areas of expertise including access to care, health insurance coverage, long-term care, health system performance improvement, and health care workforce. As a result, the Center will analyze short-term trends to support policy decision making, identify and pursue strategic initiatives that are consistent with the state’s health policy agenda, develop timely data and analyses (including planning and analyses of a second New Jersey Family Health Survey (NJFHS) which will be fielded in 2008), and enhance its strategic communication and convening activities. In addition, grant resources will help the Center build capacity and develop new strategies to support state policy in obesity prevention and mental health services.

For more information, e-mail:
Margaret Koller, MS, Executive Director
Policy Analysis Support for RWJF Impact Framework
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Jointly sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and CSHP, this distinctive fellowship offers experiences in conducting policy analysis and research as well as making findings accessible to policy-makers and general audiences.

For more information, e-mail:
Nirvana Huhtala Petlick, B.A., Program Coordinator

NJ Legislative Staff Seminars
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

In collaboration with the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services, the Center co-convenes a series of policy-relevant staff seminars. Targeted to legislative and agency staff, topics of recent seminars include the implementation of HIPAA regulations, long-term care options for the elderly, and end-of-life care.

For more information, e-mail:
Margaret Koller, MS, Executive Director

Last updated: May 18, 2009