ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Health Care System Collaboration to Address Chronic Diseases: A Nationwide Snapshot From State Public Health Practitioners

Topic Area of Collaboration Activity	%a
Tobacco	55.9
Cardiovascular health	47.3
Cancer screening	44.0
Diabetes management	43.1
Diabetes prevention	40.7
Obesity prevention	33.0
Nutrition	30.2
Physical activity	30.1
Cancer prevention and control	28.7
Asthma	21.5
Cancer survivorship	18.0
Other	14.7
Arthritis	10.7

Figure 1. Self-reported topic areas for health care system collaboration (N = 759). Participants in a 2013 national survey of state health department chronic disease prevention staff who reported collaboration with health care systems were asked to indicate all topic areas of collaboration from a provided list. Percentages total more than 100% because participants could choose all topic areas that applied. Cancer prevention and control programs do not include cancer screening. “Other” areas commonly self-reported were maternal–child health, breast-feeding, cancer registry, and adolescent health.

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Type of Setting or Activity	n
Community health centers	303
Hospital systems	237
School-based health centers	27
Insurance systems	43
Self-management programs	151
Screening programs	258
Cessation services	314
Patient-centered medical home	58
Team-based care	83
Referral systems	215
Quality improvement	181
Guidelines and best practices	147
Training and resources	318
Electronic health records	153
Registry and reporting systems	129
Clinic-community linkage	43
Outreach and advocacy	130
Community programs and policies	177

Figure 2. Collaboration examples by common settings and activities, derived from qualitative data (N = 642). Participants in a 2013 national survey of state health department chronic disease prevention staff who reported collaboration with health care systems were asked to provide an example of their collaborative work.

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