Office of Health Policy and Research

The Office of Health Policy and Research ("Office") within the Florida Center conducts research and analysis of health care data from facilities, such as hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, health maintenance organizations, and nursing homes. Based on this research and analysis, the Office develops policy recommendations aimed at improving the delivery of health care services in Florida. Examples of research reports provided include: The Florida Center Annual Report; the Florida Health Care Expenditures Report, and the Emergency Department Utilization Report. The Office provides bill analysis and legislative support, and assists in policy development for Florida Center and Agency initiatives. The Office also provides staff support for the State Consumer Health Information and Policy Advisory Council, which includes the Health Information Exchange Coordinating Committee and the Data Standards and Transparency Committee.

This Office is charged with numerous responsibilities relating to Sections 408.05 and 408.061, Florida Statutes. For the full text, please visit http://www.leg.state.fl.us/. Below is a list of health care initiatives being implemented by this Office.

Health Care Initiatives:

• Florida Center Annual Report - Includes the Long-Range Plan and Facility Performance Data Status Report.
• Health Plan Quality Indicator Data - Health plan quality performance data are collected, analyzed, and published annually on the Agency website. Data come from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) and compare the quality of services provided by health plans, across all health plan product lines.
• Health Plan Member Satisfaction Data - Data from current enrollees of health plans on their satisfaction with their health care are collected annually from the Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey. The Agency contracts with a vendor to survey members of Medicaid and Healthy Kids HMOs; while commercial plans contract with third parties for survey administration. Results compare satisfaction on getting needed care quickly, on communication with providers, and on getting help from health plan customer service. Results are then posted on the Agency website.
• Emergency Department Report - This report provides patient demographic information and other characteristics on visits to hospital Emergency Departments, as well as information on visits to the Emergency Department that resulted in an inpatient hospital admission.
• Health Care Expenditures Report - This report details annual spending by health care service providers (hospital, physician, pharmacy, and others) and payers (commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and others). The report also compares Florida data to national trends.
• Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) - The Florida Center submits facility discharge and visit data to this national project as maintained by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The database rolls up discharge data from 38 states, creating the largest national database of health care facility information, which also allows for comparisons amongst those states.
• Florida Prescription Drug Price Website - This website (MyFloridaRx.com) was developed by the Florida Attorney General and the Agency to help consumers shop for the lowest price in their area for prescription drugs. The website provides retail pricing information ("usual and customary charge") for the 100 most commonly used prescription drugs in Florida.
• Confidential Data Review Committee - The Security Administrator within the Office reviews requests for confidential data and the Committee reviews requests as appropriate.
• State Consumer Health Information and Policy Advisory Council - This Office facilitates the scheduling, coordination, and operation of the Advisory Council, its sub-committees, and ad hoc workgroups in the fulfillment of legislative mandates.

If you have any questions concerning the Office of Health Policy and Research, please contact our office or visit the links on this page.

Contact Us or Order Data: We respond to requests for data from a variety of users, both inside the Agency and external stakeholders. If you can not find what you need on these pages, or have suggestions for improvement, please use the contact information to let us know.