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What is the Sentinel Centers Network?

In its history, the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) has invested in several mechanisms of systematically monitoring the performance of the Health Center program, for which it is the primary administrator, and the care that is provided through these centers to vulnerable populations nationwide. Some of these efforts include the Uniform Data System (UDS), the Health Disparities Collaboratives Patient Electronic Care System (PECS), the User/Visit Surveys and special evaluation studies. The BPHC has developed an additional component to its strategy for evaluation and focused study that incorporates these efforts, The Sentinel Centers Network (SCN). The SCN was initiated to meet the needs of the BPHC regarding data for policy, capacity building, and identification of quality improvement strategies for health centers. The SCN will advance the current system of data collection and program evaluation for BPHC programs by:

1. Serving as a data laboratory for the BPHC, participant centers, and others interested in primary care delivery to underserved populations.

2. Providing a mechanism through which research and evaluation activities may be conducted to serve the health centers as well as the larger primary health care community.

3. Establishing and reporting national indicators of quality in primary health care for vulnerable populations.

How did the Sentinel Centers Network start?

The Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) created the Sentinel Centers Network (SCN) in 2000 to collect a representative sample of data from participating health centers. These 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 health centers, as well as for focused studies of health centers. The SCN will become an integral part of BPHC’s strategy for evaluation and focused study, clinical quality improvement, and information technology at all health centers.  

Who are the SCN participants?

The SCN is representative of all health centers, including provider characteristics, geographic and urban/rural location, patient demographics and size of center, and as such, all findings identified through analysis of SCN data are potentially generalizable across all health centers. The design and implementation of the network have been structured so that long-term participation in, and commitment to the network are established with the selected participants, and exhibited through formal participation in all aspects of Network governance.

à For information about participating in the SCN, please contact us at SCN@mphi.org. ß

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