Dr. Peter Beilenson wanted to know why Lyme disease cases rose, why women spent more time in the county?s prenatal clinic and why resident complaints were handled quicker.
“That?s how you find out whether something?s going on,” Beilenson, Howard?s health officer, said Tuesday at a meeting with more than a dozen Howard County Health Department directors.
Every two weeks, Beilenson and these directors parse through pages of budget figures, percentages and numbers of cases.
Using the county?s HealthStat program, each bureau inputs data and reviews the changes, looking for trends or problem areas.
Beilenson started the HealthStat program in 2000 in Baltimore City while he was the city?s health commissioner. The system translated to Howard, since many of the same results were measured, he said.
The system alerts officials early about a health need, and the statistics can help officials make a case for funding, Beilenson said. The department also is using it to track the success of its new Healthy Howard initiatives.
The system, which the department has been using since April, was met with some resistance.
“At first, there was a little defensiveness, but then they realize it?s not all ?gotcha?,” he said.
Beilenson starts each meeting by giving kudos for department successes over the last two weeks. He also has invited staff members to sit in to see how the system works.
“Transparency is a scary thing,” said HealthStat coordinator Jon Margolick, who is giving presentations on the system to each bureau. “If anything, they know their stuff better.”
The county administration also is taking notice, and several department heads have sat in on the bimonthly meetings.
“He wants this to happen countywide,” Beilenson said, referring to County Executive Ken Ulman.
County spokesman Kevin Enright confirmed the administration was looking into a similar performance-driven system, saying “we?re not there yet, but we?re not far off.”
