10 HEALTHCARE QUALITY AND ANALYSIS

The Healthcare Quality and Analysis Program is responsible for analyzing healthcare quality and costs, making policy recommendations for future health-related needs, conducting research activities in the development of statewide health policy, and disseminating data to various audiences. In addition, this program produces risk-adjusted reports on hospital and physician outcomes, current healthcare policy issues, and analyzes and makes recommendations on specific issues affecting the quality or cost of healthcare.

The California Health Policy and Data Advisory Commission advises OSHPD on the collection and reporting of health facility data, public access to data, regulations, risk-adjusted outcome studies, and health planning issues. The Commission holds hearings for health facilities appealing fines for delinquent data submission and for applicants of the Cal-Mortgage Loan Insurance Program, and makes recommendations to the Director of the Office.

The Rural Health Policy Council promotes coordinated planning and policy development among state departments and between the State and local public and private providers, conducts public hearings in rural communities for the purpose of soliciting and receiving input from these communities, including input from rural hospitals, rural clinics, healthcare service plans, local governments, academia, and consumers.

30 HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE

The Healthcare Workforce Program supports development and expansion of primary care and allied health training throughout the state and promotes recruitment of students into health professions. It includes the following program areas:

• Health Manpower Pilot Projects Program-Provides the opportunity for healthcare related organizations to demonstrate, test and evaluate new or expanded roles for healthcare professionals or new healthcare delivery alternatives prior to amending regulations or laws. Under this Program, trainees in approved pilot projects are exempted from other provisions of law. Pilot project results help guide changes to the Business and Professions Code.
• Song-Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program-Grants funds to family practice residency, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, and registered nurse training programs to increase the number and improve the distribution of these professionals in underserved areas of the state.
• Health Careers Training Program-Works with public and private partnerships to promote recruitment, training, placement, and retention of healthcare professionals.
• Shortage Designation Program-Liaisons between the federal government and healthcare provider sites applying for designation as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) or a Medically Underserved Area/Population (MUA/P). These designations enable clinics to be eligible for assignment of National Health Service Corps Personnel or apply for Rural Health Clinic (RHC) certification Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike certification, and New Start/Expansion Program.
• National Health Service Corps/State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)- Increases the number of primary care physicians, dentists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and mental health providers practicing in designated HPSAs. SLRP is authorized to repay educational loans of health professionals, who in turn must obligate themselves for service in public or private non-profit entities for a minimum of two years and maximum of four years in direct patient care.
• Health Professions Education Foundation (a non-profit public benefit corporation)-Provides scholarship and loan repayments to health professional students and graduates who agree to provide direct patient care in a medically underserved area of California for 2 to 3 years.

40 FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT

The Facilities Development Program regulates the design and construction of health facilities to ensure the facilities are safe and available to provide care to the community in the event of a major disaster.

45 CAL-MORTGAGE LOAN INSURANCE

The Cal-Mortgage Program is an insurance program for health facility construction, improvement, and expansion loans, to ensure that healthcare providers have adequate access to capital to provide the facilities necessary to meet the healthcare needs of California.

The Program provides financial analysis and review of health facility project applications for Health Facility Construction Loan Insurance, administers loan payback provisions of Fire Protection Loans and Clinic Renovation Loans, and administers the Eminent Domain Certificate Program for health facilities. The Program also ensures that available financial assistance is allocated to eligible health facilities in California. Projects receiving this assistance are subject to on-site construction progress and payment verification inspections to assure conformity with approved plans, specifications and loan agreement terms and conditions.

60 HEALTHCARE INFORMATION

The Healthcare Information Program collects and maintains an ongoing repository of uniform and objective information about the costs, charges, capacity, and utilization of health facilities, as well as the services provided and patients served by these facilities. This information is used by various OSHPD programs, such as the Healthcare Quality and Analysis Program, to fulfill its goals and mission.

80 ADMINISTRATION

Administration provides overall management, planning, policy development, legal, legislative, information technology support and administrative services to the OSHPD.