Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

The purpose of the Oral Health Quality Improvement Project (QIP) is to increase the rate of annual dental visits among AHCCCS members younger than 21, in order to make more progress toward AHCCCS and national “Healthy People 2010” goals. Using the following methodology, AHCCCS will establish a baseline measure of annual dental visits overall and by Contractor from which to measure improvement. This quality improvement project will focus on developing or improving interventions to help address factors that contribute to low utilization of dental services. In addition, this project addresses the AHCCCS requirement that acute and long-term care Contractors conduct Quality Improvement Projects. The baseline measurement period will be October 1, 2001, through September 30, 2002

This report includes Performance Indicators for preventive health care services provided to selected adults and adolescents enrolled with AHCCCS-contracted, acute-care health plans (Contractors). The four indicators are:
• Breast cancer screening
• Cervical cancer screening
• Adolescent well-care visits
• Adults’ access to preventive/ambulatory services

This report includes data for the period from October 1, 2000, through September 30, 2001 (and may include one or two previous years, depending on the indicator methodology). Results of the four indicators are reported in aggregate by Maricopa, Pima and combined rural counties, and by individual Contractors.

As part of a State initiative to develop a plan for providing Arizonans with affordable, accessible health insurance, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System Administration undertook a qualitative data gathering effort to better understand the issues faced by rural practitioners and to ensure the implementation of effective strategies for enhancing the rural provider network. This study involving key stakeholder interviews was propelled by the recognition that any efforts to enhance the availability of coverage would be ineffectual if improvements were not made to the rural health care infrastructure including increasing the accessibility to health care providers.

As a subset of the larger rural provider interview project, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment Administration interviewed a small group of rural employers and employee benefit specialists who were considered to be major purchasers of health care in their rural communities. The project goals were to gain 1) a better understanding of the strategies used by these employers to ensure accessible and affordable coverage for their employees as well as themselves and 2) an insight as to the barriers these purchasers faced in providing health care to their employees.