Projects & Publications

A Profile of Health Coverage for Nonelderly Mississippi Adults

At the request of The Center for Mississippi Health Policy, researchers with the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) at the University of Minnesota compiled Mississippi data from the American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS asks a representative sample of households about their health insurance coverage. These chartbooks summarize the responses given
by nonelderly adults in Mississippi. Nonelderly adults are persons 19 through 64 years of age.

These chartbooks also summarize responses provided by Mississippi employers asked about health insurance offered. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality conducts the survey, known as the Medical Expenditure
Panel Survey (MEPS).

Publications

A Profile of Health Coverage for Mississippi Children

Researchers from the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) at the University of Minnesota compiled Mississippi data from the United States Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) at the request of the Center for Mississippi Health Policy. The ACS asks a representative sample of households about their health insurance coverage. These chartbooks summarizes the responses given by households for children age 0 to 18 years.

Publications

Academic Health Centers: Governance Models and UMMC

Academic Health Centers (AHCs) have a unique challenge in effectively and simultaneously meeting the demands of all three areas of their mission: education, research, and patient care. In particular, AHCs must adapt quickly to the rapidly evolving and complex health care system in order to remain competitive, and their governance structures, leadership, and policies must facilitate such nimbleness. AHCs nationally have struggled to find the most appropriate structure to meet their particular needs, and a number of governance models exist.

The Center for Mississippi Health Policy commissioned Veralon Partners, Inc. to conduct an analysis of models and best practices nationwide related to governance of academic health centers and apply the findings to the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

2006 Issue Brief

Analysis of Governance Models for Academic Health Centers

To view a presentation of the Economic Impact of University of Mississippi Medical Center, click here.

Assessing the Impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act

This project involved a comprehensive set of studies conducted by researchers from three universities from 2008 through 2012 to assess the impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act on childhood obesity. The evaluation measured trends in childhood obesity rates and assesses the implementation of school health initiatives mandated by the Act. Because parents and the home environment can have a major influence on children’s health, the project also included parent surveys to examine changes occurring in the home and family. Data collected in 2006 from a survey of principals before implementation of the Act were also used.

Publications:

Technical Reports

Analyses

Obesity and Mississippi Families, An In-depth Analysis of Contextual Domains, 2013

Comparison Reports

Scientific Articles

Surveys

Chartbook

Results of the Mississippi Child and Youth Prevalence of Obesity Study, 2005-2017

Presentations

Contributors

Building Mississippi’s Health Insurance Exchange

Legislation to create a Health Insurance Exchange has been proposed in
Mississippi for several years. Through the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA),
grants have been made available to states to develop state-based Exchanges,
alternatives to a federally run Exchange.

Issue Brief: Building Mississippi’s Health Exchange

Report: Building Mississippi’s Health Insurance Exchange, 2012

Building Mississippi’s System of Care: An Interagency Solution for Mississippi’s Children

This Assessment and Study of Mississippi’s System of Care is provided first and foremost to the children, adolescents, young adults, and families of Mississippi who have struggled, and who will yet struggle, with behavioral health needs. The saddest part of this work is that those struggles are sometimes so incredibly painful and difficult; the happiest part of this work is making system changes that better enable families to raise their own children
successfully to adulthood, maybe even with a little less struggle.

This Assessment and Study is provided to the Center for Mississippi Health Policy which provided funding and support for the study. The Center views behavioral health care of children as an important element of a healthy Mississippi and is seeking to ensure continuation of the development of the system of care.

Issue Brief: Building a Health Exchange in Mississippi

Report: An Assessment and Study of the Mississippi System of Care, 2009

Developmental Screening in Early Childhood

Senate Bill 2395 was passed in spring 2013, establishing Mississippi’s first state-funded prekindergarten programs (pre-K) in 11 sites around the state. In fall 2014, with the start of the new pre-K programs, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) also implemented developmental screenings for attending children. The purpose of the screenings was to identify children who might be experiencing a developmental delay, so they could receive services and any necessary referrals, providing them an opportunity to enter kindergarten more prepared for school. Research has shown that children who participate in high-quality preschool programs with early developmental screening and early intervention for delays are more likely to have better educational outcomes in later years, saving state funding that would be
otherwise be spent on special education and repeated grades.

Funded by the Center for Mississippi Health Policy, a pilot study was formed around the Mississippi pre-K developmental screenings in order to collect and analyze data on the developmental status of children entering pre-K, as well as the determinants of different stages. Researchers from the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University were enlisted to analyze the screening data for MDE. Two developmental screeners were used:
The Ages and Stages Questionnaires® Third Edition (ASQ-3), and the Ages and Stages Questionnaires® Social Emotional (ASQ-SE)

To read the issue brief, click here.

To read the full report, click here.

Distracted Driving

Society has made rapid advances in technology that have changed American culture, both benefitting and complicating the driving environment. While making automobile rides more enjoyable and efficient, many technological devices have also introduced more opportunities for driver distraction. Cars are frequently equipped with DVD players that entertain children on long rides, “talking” GPS devices that guide drivers to their destinations, and satellite radios that play hundreds of stations. Other mobile devices that may be used by those driving or riding in automobiles include MP3 and video game players, laptops and mobile cellular telephones (hereafter referred to as cell phones). These new technologies, in combination with routine distractions, such as eating, conversing with passengers and tending to child passengers, create an environment rife with the potential that drivers will engage in distracted driving.

In 2008 alone, over a half million people were injured, and almost 6,000 lost their lives in crashes involving distracted driving, and according to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 16% of all fatal crashes that year involved driver distraction (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2009a).

To read the 2010 issue brief, click here.

To read the 2014 issue brief, click here.

To read the full report, click here.

To read the chartbook, click here.

Early Intervention Task Force: IDEA Part C

S.B. 2167, 2023 Regular Session, established the Early Intervention (EI) Task Force to study the IDEA Part C early intervention system in Mississippi. The EI Task Force is composed of 21 appointees from the Legislature, state agencies, and professional/advocacy organizations. Additionally, the president of each university within the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) could elect to choose a faculty member to assist the Task Force with research. Further, S.B. 2167 requires staff of the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) to provide necessary clerical support for the meetings of the Task Force and the preparation of the final report. To read more on this topic, click here.

Mississippi IDEA Part C Early Intervention Task Force: Final Report and Recommendations

2023 Issue Brief

Economic Impact of Medicaid Expansion in Mississippi

The Center for Mississippi Health Policy (Center) is a non-partisan, nonprofit research group with the purpose of providing research and data to inform the planning, decision-making, and operations of health policy in Mississippi. Since the option for states to expand Medicaid eligibility presented itself in 2014, a major question for Mississippi state legislators and health professionals has been the total cost of expansion to the state. In 2022, the Center commissioned The Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), an independent, nonpartisan research group, to conduct a study limited to estimating and projecting the financial and economic effects of Mississippi expanding its Medicaid program by 2023.

Upon request from members of the legislature, the Center has further commissioned The Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), to provide updated reports concerning the economic impact of Medicaid Expansion in Mississippi.

Publications

Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (The Farm Bill)

The United States Congress reauthorized the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (Public Law 110-246) —referred to as the “Farm Bill”—in 2012. Federal farm policies contained in the Farm Bill directly impacted what foods are grown or are available in the nation, thus greatly affecting nutrition and consequently the health status of Americans. Certain policies in particular worked to discourage the production of fruits and vegetables. In addition, Farm Bill policies have had a substantial impact in low-income populations because of the large nutrition programs funded under the act.

Reports Year 1-4 : Accessing the Impact of the Mississippi Health Students Act

Interagency Solution for Mississippi’s Children

This Assessment and Study of Mississippi’s System of Care is provided first and foremost to the children, adolescents, young adults, and families of Mississippi who have struggled, and who will yet struggle, with behavioral health needs. The saddest part of this work is that those struggles are sometimes so incredibly painful and difficult; the happiest part of this work is making system changes that better enable families to raise their own children
successfully to adulthood, maybe even with a little less struggle.

This Assessment and Study is provided to the Center for Mississippi Health Policy which provided funding and support for the study. The Center views behavioral health care of children as an important element of a healthy Mississippi and is seeking to ensure continuation of the development of the system of care.

Information and support for this Assessment and Study have been provided by many persons and organizations. First among them, Sandra Parks, Director of the Division of Children and Youth Services at the Department of Mental Health, provided a steady flow of data and answers to questions and orchestrated two highly-structured and successful Site Visits.

Deep respect is also offered to Brenda Scafidi, previous Director of DCYS at DMH, and Tessie Schweitzer, retiring and founding Director of MS FAA, who worked together over several decades to produce the climate that currently exists in Mississippi, a climate that allows the current system of care to touch real lives and prepares that system of care to grow to touch more real lives. The families of Mississippi thank both for their dedicated service.

This Assessment and Study is limited by the data available to inform the process. Quantitative data about system functioning are very limited. Public systems do not utilize sophisticated or well-developed Management Information Systems (MIS), and the outcomes expected from services are not defined or tracked. Quality improvement systems are not in evidence at any level. Much of this study is based on impressions.

Health Data Reporting System

Mississippi is one of the few states or jurisdictions without a state health data reporting program, leaving important gaps in information to guide policy and market decisions. In 2007, 46 states and the District of Columbia maintain hospital inpatient discharge databases. Because these data typically include detailed information on all patients discharged from the acute care hospitals in the jurisdiction, they are a complete, ongoing source of health care information that has proven useful in health care cost, quality, access, and research applications. These systems are the foundation for policy, research, and market information in those states and a growing source of health care data for national programs.

Statewide inpatient discharge data are routinely used to study and monitor issues of public safety, including injury surveillance and prevention. Hospital Discharge Data are used in a remarkably wide range of applications.

Public safety and injury surveillance and prevention;
Public health, disease surveillance and disease registries;
Public health planning and community assessment;
Public reporting for informed purchasing and comparative reports;
Quality assessment and performance improvement;
Health services and health policy research ;
Private sector and commercial applications;
Informing policy deliberations and legislation; and
Employee & purchaser use.

This report is intended to facilitate planning and implementation decisions in Mississippi and lay out a framework for a establishing a statewide health data program in Mississippi. This report can be used as a tool to solicit input across potential data suppliers and expected data users.

To view the full report, click here.

Health Insurance Coverage: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Mississippi Residents

In 2017, the Center for Mississippi Health Policy commissioned researchers at the Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Mississippi State University to survey non-elderly Mississippi adults to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to health insurance and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This survey serves as a follow-up to similar studies conducted in 2013 and 2014-15. The Center has prepared an Issue Brief that summarizes the results of the 2017 survey and a Chartbook with a more detailed analysis of the data from the survey. A copy of the full SSRC Report containing all survey responses, as well as the survey methodology, is also available under Related Links.

Contributors

Reports

Chartbooks

Healthcare System Performance

The performance of Mississippi’s healthcare system is consistently ranked as one of the lowest in the nation. In 2013, the Center for Mississippi Health Policy (Center) published the report, “Healthcare System Performance: What Mississippi Indicators Reveal,” which included an analysis of national health system performance indicators and discussed the weaknesses of the state’s healthcare system. At the time, the state’s use of hospital care for chronic and preventable conditions was one of the highest in the nation, while the utilization of primary and preventive care was one of the lowest. Low rates of utilization such as this result in very poor health outcomes and financial burdens on the state’s healthcare resources. The report also discussed strategic actions and opportunities for addressing these weaknesses, and categorized those strategies into four dimensions of healthcare performance:

Workforce
Service Delivery Models
Payment Systems
Performance Measurement

The report discussed initiatives from each of the four performance dimensions Mississippi and private organizations had taken to address the state’s poorly performing healthcare system. For example, the Mississippi Office of Physician Workforce was developed in 2012 to address the state’s healthcare workforce by creating enhanced family medicine residency programs. In the same year, the Mississippi Division of Medicaid reformed their payment systems by implementing the Mississippi Coordinated Access Network (MSCAN) program to address quality of care and rising costs through the coordination of care for Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries.

Mississippi was making significant efforts to address healthcare performance issues but, at the time of our 2013 report, was severely lacking in their coordination of strategies and efforts. The report explained several action points related to four dimensions of healthcare system performance that the National Academy for State Health Policy recommended states collaborate and coordinate their efforts to improve health outcomes and healthcare system performance. Some of the action points that were most relevant to the improvement of Mississippi’s healthcare system included:

Increase providers trained in primary and preventive care
Revise payment models to incentivize improvements in health outcomes and the expansion of patient care coordination
Adopt use of electronic health records and enhancement of data systems
Report health quality measures to Medicare to improve the development of current performance measurements

Reports

Legislative Summaries

The center follows the legislative session and the health-related bills that are introduced during the proceedings.

Mississippi Medicaid Costs Attributable to Tobacco

The negative effects of tobacco usage on health have been well studied, and there is a growing body of evidence documenting the increased risk for specific diseases associated with tobacco use. This higher risk calculates into greater health care costs for treating these diseases, much of which is paid by public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. The Center for Mississippi Health Policy commissioned researchers with The Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to review Mississippi Medicaid claims data and quantify the financial impact of tobacco use on Mississippi’s Medicaid program. To identify the costs that could be attributable to smoking, Hilltop used a method for calculating a smoking attributable fraction that accounts for the fact that tobacco impacts multiple body systems.

To read the full report, click here.

Mississippi Task Force Trauma and EMS Funding Needs Report

At its July 2016 meeting, the State Board of Health formed the Task Force for Trauma and EMS Funding Needs and charged the ad hoc committee with advising the Board on funding options and legislative efforts pursuant to the goal of preserving funding for trauma and emergency medical services (EMS) at or above the originally intended levels.

Staff of the Mississippi State Department of Health, as well as members of the Mississippi Trauma Advisory Council (MTAC) and Mississippi Association of Trauma Administrators (MATA), provided information and technical assistance to the Task Force. The Task Force requested the assistance of the Center for Mississippi Health Policy in synthesizing the information reviewed and preparing its report. This report provides background information and summarizes the findings and recommendations of the Task Force.

To read the full report, click here.

Mississippi Trauma Care System

The State of Mississippi has been building a formal statewide trauma system for over fifteen years. In recent years, barriers to progress have resulted in less than optimal trauma care statewide. A formalized system of trauma care helps injured patients receive specialized treatment at the closest capable facility. This type of system has been shown to reduce mortality. Further development of the trauma care system in Mississippi will be difficult unless existing barriers are addressed. This paper outlines the history of the trauma system in Mississippi, highlights its strengths and weaknesses, and discusses policy options for consideration by state policymakers.

In 1991, the Mississippi Legislature charged the Department of Health with the responsibility for oversight of trauma system development. A trauma registry was established the following year. In 1997, the Legislature created the Trauma Care Task Force, an ad hoc seventeen-member group, to plan the development of a formal trauma system. The Task Force presented its recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature at the end of the same year.

Legislation was enacted during 1998 to implement many recommendations of the Trauma Care Task Force. The new statute defined key components of the system, charged the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services at the Mississippi
Department of Health with leading the development of a statewide trauma care system, authorized the creation of the Mississippi Trauma Advisory Committee (MTAC) as a permanent advisory body to recommend changes in the state’s trauma plan, and established the Trauma Care System Fund. The legislation also authorized an assessment of $5 on all moving traffic violations to generate revenue for the Fund. In 1999, the Legislature began appropriating $6 million annually from the Health Care Expendable Fund to the Trauma Care System Fund, and in 2005, increased the assessment on moving traffic violations to $10.

In 2002, the Mississippi Trauma Advisory Committee’s recommended revisions to the state’s trauma plan were approved by the State Board of Health leading to the development of seven trauma regions. The regulations adopted by the Board designated hospitals as Level I, II, III, or IV trauma centers and required hospitals seeking to become formal trauma centers to pass inspection, with Level I being the most comprehensive trauma care and Level IV being the lowest designation. All trauma regions were mandated to collect trauma registry data from these hospitals and report data to the Mississippi Department of Health.

Funds in the Trauma Care System Fund are used for administration of the system, including the collection and reporting of data and the administrative structure of trauma regions, and for uncompensated trauma care. Seventy percent (70%) of the uncompensated care fund is allocated to eligible hospitals and thirty percent (30%) to certain physician specialists not otherwise compensated for their trauma services. In 2005, approximately 285 trauma system physicians received an average reimbursement of $7,258.43 each for all uncompensated trauma care provided that year. Eleven trauma hospitals submitted $100 million worth of gross charges for 4,995 uncompensated care patients and were awarded $4.8 million. Trauma centers, therefore, do receive financial compensation from the Trauma Care System Fund for participating in the system, but at a fraction of the cost.

To the full report, click here.

Mississippi Trauma Care Task Force

The goal of a formalized system of trauma care is to deliver the right patient to the right hospital at the right time. This has been shown to decrease mortality. The State of Mississippi has been building a formal statewide trauma system for over fifteen years. The trauma system is currently being held together by a handful of dedicated physicians whose commitment is wearing thin due to the lack of financial support and a systematic approach that equalizes the trauma burden throughout the state. The system is grossly underfunded and in need of a stable source of significant, ongoing funding. In the absence of a timely solution, the existing trauma system will continue
to erode to the point of jeopardizing Mississippians’ safety.

In recognition of the need to revitalize this critical health service, during its 2007 regular session the Legislature created the Trauma Care Task Force to undertake a study of Mississippi’s trauma system in order to make recommendations to restore and improve the system. In compliance with the charge given by the Legislature, the Trauma Care Task Force has studied the status of the state’s trauma system, and this report contains its findings and recommendations.

The beginnings of formal trauma care in Mississippi can be dated back to 1991, when the Mississippi Legislature charged the State Department of Health with the responsibility for oversight of trauma system development. A trauma registry was established the following year. In 1997, the Legislature created the Trauma Care Task Force, an ad hoc seventeen-member group, to plan the development of a formal trauma system. The Task Force presented its recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature at the end of the same year.

In 1998, legislation was enacted to implement many recommendations of the Trauma Care Task Force. The new statute defined key components of the system, charged the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services at the Mississippi State Department of Health with leading the development of a statewide trauma care system, authorized the creation of the Mississippi Trauma Advisory Committee (MTAC) as a permanent advisory body to recommend changes in the state’s trauma plan, and established the Trauma Care System Fund. The legislation also authorized an assessment of $5 on all moving traffic violations to generate revenue for the Fund. In 1999, the Legislature began appropriating $6 million annually from the Health Care Expendable Fund to the Trauma Care System Fund, and in 2005, increased the assessment on moving traffic violations to $10.

In 2002, the Mississippi Trauma Advisory Committee’s recommended revisions to the state’s trauma plan were approved by the State Board of Health leading to the development of seven trauma regions. The regulations adopted by the Board designated hospitals as Level I, II, III, or IV trauma centers and required hospitals seeking to become formal trauma centers to pass inspection, with Level I being the most comprehensive trauma care and Level IV being the lowest designation. All trauma regions were mandated to collect trauma registry data from these hospitals and report data to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

To view the full report, click here.

Rural Hospitals: Economic and Health Implications in Mississippi

The healthcare delivery and financing systems in the United States are evolving rapidly, and the impact on small rural hospitals is made evident by increasingly common news of closures or employee layoffs. Since 2010, 58 rural hospitals have closed nationally, mostly in the South, including two in Mississippi. Another 283 hospitals nationwide have been identified as “vulnerable,” with 22 of those in Mississippi. As a percentage of all rural hospitals in the state, Mississippi has the highest proportion of its rural hospitals classified as “vulnerable.”

To read the full report, click here.

Sex-Related Education

During its 2011 Regular Session, the Mississippi Legislature passed HB 999, which requires each local school board to adopt a policy on sex-related education by June 30, 2012, to implement either an abstinence-only or an abstinence-plus curriculum. The Center for Mississippi Health Policy commissioned Mississippi State University’s Social Science Research Center to survey parents of Mississippi public school students to assess their attitudes and opinions regarding the content of and methods for delivering sex-related
education in the schools.

Publications

Contributors

The University of Southern Mississippi

Syringe Services Programs

Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) are community-based programs that provide access free of charge to sterile needles and syringes and facilitate safe disposal of used needles and syringes to prevent the spread of disease. Increases in injection drug use associated with the aftermath of the opioid crisis have led to greater interest in SSPs by federal and state policymakers.

While there is a growing body of research indicating that SSPs can be effective in reducing the spread of infectious diseases and getting injection drug users into treatment, SSPs have generated opposition primarily due to moral, social, or cultural concerns related to their association with drug use. Consequently, states have produced a variety of policy responses.

To read the full report, click here.

Uninsured Adults by County

The following are fact sheets that provide the number and percentage of adults ages 18-64 without health insurance at the county level in Mississippi throughout the years using data from the Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) calculated by the United States Census Bureau.

To view our latest update, click here.

Fact Sheets:

Unintended Pregnancy and Contraceptives

According to a survey conducted by the Mississippi State Department of Health, the majority of new mothers in Mississippi reported their pregnancies were unintended. The social and economic implications of unplanned pregnancy for women, families and the state are wide-reaching and enduring. Considering the broad array of contraception available, the following studies looked to understand what factors influenced women’s choice of birth control methods.

Issue Brief

Unintended Pregnancy, 2018

Chartbooks

Reports

Contributors

Center for Mississippi Health Policy

Research to Inform Mississippi Health Policy

Commissioned Projects and Studies (A-Z)

Issue Briefs