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Rural Health Information Hub

Evaluation Data Sources

Different data sources may be used to collect the information needed to evaluate care coordination programs, including:

  • Referral forms: Used to track patient referrals between different organizations. Referral forms may be automated as part of an electronic health record (EHR) or provider’s health information management system. Manual forms may also be completed by providers and collected by care coordinators.
  • Encounter forms: Used by care coordinators to document a meeting with a patient.
  • Outreach logs: Used to record data about the number of people reached at a particular outreach event.
  • Patient, provider, or partner surveys: Patients, providers, or other organizations may participate in surveys to answer questions about their experience.
  • Patient, provider, or partner focus groups and interviews: Patients, providers, or partners who participate in a care coordination program may be asked to provide descriptive feedback via interviews or focus groups about the quality of the care coordination services provided and/or their satisfaction with the program.
  • Electronic health record data and/or hospital data: Data from EHRs may be used to evaluate patient care and assess the types of services provided by the care coordination program. If the program involves multiple partners, data may be pulled from each EHR and shared with the program’s evaluator.
  • Administrative data: Provides financial information related to the costs of care provided to patients. Administrative data can be used, for example, to demonstrate a return on investment.

For a description of other data sources for program evaluation, see Collect and Analyze Quantitative and Qualitative Data in the Rural Community Health Toolkit.

Resources to Learn More

Client Encounter Form
Document
This is a resource for the care coordinator to use to document information during a client encounter.
Organization(s): Bi-State Primary Care Association
Date: 12/2013

Health Pathways Program Request for Public Health Nursing/Health Navigation Services
Document
A sample referral form that provides the information necessary to request public health nursing or health navigation services.
Organization(s): Public Health Solutions

Prospects for Care Coordination Measurement Using Electronic Data Sources
Document
This report identifies challenges and opportunities for measuring care coordination processes using HIT data.
Organization(s): Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality
Date: 3/2012