Agenda 04-01-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PUBLIC HEALTH TASK FORCE 2004: PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS PUBLIC HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN 16e) Assure that a significant percentage of any new health related revenues as generated by the General Assembly be directed to support public health infrastructure and services in keeping with the Task Force 2004 Public Health Improvement Plan and subsequent statewide health plans. Need Addressed /Rationale Almost unanimous support was achieved from the Finance Committee that products whose consumption negatively impacts health should be taxed significantly to generate revenue, which could be directed to counteract the economic impact and improve the health of North Carolina's people. If such user fees are passed by the General Assembly, a significant percentage of the revenue should be designated for the support of essential public health services and critical service gaps. Two essential core infrastructure needs not specifically addressed in other Committee Recommendations are the following: Dedicated, ongoing funding for replacement and ongoing maintenance of the Health Services Information System (HSIS), including local and state interface; and Dedicated, ongoing state funding to share more equitability the costs of environmental health services currently funded by local government. Funding for a new Health Information System: The state's current Health Services Information System (HSIS) is totally outdated, it does not meet state needs, and certainly it does not meet the local health department needs. Approximately 65 county departments are "on line counties with HSIS ", and are totally dependent on HSIS today for all of their reporting and billing activities. These departments provide one third (1/3) of the total services reported/ billed to the state from local public health. The remaining 20 departments (larger and better funded) have purchased propriety software applications that provide them a much more robust management information system; however, they still must send their statistics to the state DPH through an interface with HSIS, the only system that DPH has for this activity The 7 individual vendor applications of these health departments must interface with HSIS and are essential for the state and local health departments. However, it is becoming more and more difficult to get the HSIS state system to appropriately interface with these newer systems. If Failed transmissions of data occur for whatever reason it impacts county cash flow with Medicaid and requires a tremendous amount staff time to resolve and resend information. Equitable State /County fundingLof Environmental Health Services: County Commissioners and Local Health Directors on the Finance Committee repeatedly stressed the environmental health services financial burden carried by county government in NC. The Committee recommends that an equitable sharing of costs between the state and counties be developed to support state and federal environmental mandates at local health departments' service level. (A prior recommendation stated that local health departments should be allowed to charge fees for the Food and Lodging Program, and this current recommendation.emphasizes that even if counties are allowed to increase fees; the counties will still bear an inequitable share of the total environmental health services costs requiring additional state funding to correct.) 3