SENTINEL CENTERS NETWORK (SCN)

Funding Source: Health Resources & Services Administration, Department of Health & Human Services

Project Period: September, 2005 to Present

Project Coordinator: Lynn Breer, PhD

The Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) at the Health Resources Services Administration created the Sentinel Center Network (SCN) in 1999 and consists a representative sample of 64 community health centers located throughout the United States. Participating health centers provide the SCN with semi-annual data extractions from existing management information systems at the patient, encounter, and practitioner levels. These data provide an avenue for continuous monitoring, improvement, and evaluation of services offered by Community Health Centers.

In September 2005, MPHI-CDMTR was charged with the responsibility of maintaining and managing the SCN which includes collecting, standardizing, and analyzing patient data from participating health centers and representing nearly 1.6 million patients annually. MPHI-CDMTR produces an aggregate annual report illustrating the networks overall performance as well as individual center reports for each participating center. In addition, MPHI-CDMTR conducts various ad hoc and exploratory statistical analyses as requested by the client or project partners.

More information can be found on the SCN website.

Project Type: Evaluation, Data Management