ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries Ja n u a ry 1 9 9 6 /1 9 Internet resources for health policy By L y n n e M. S tu art a n d D en a H o lim a n H u tto Financial, governmental, a n d industrial resources I nterest in health policy explod ed on cam ­puses as well as the rest o f the nation in 1992 w hen President Clinton made health care reform a priority for his administration. Although his com prehensive health care reform proposal died with the 103rd Congress in 1994, the na­ tional debate continues. Current federal bud­ get-cutting proposals w ould limit M edicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs. State governm ents may have to assume the burden o f ensuring access to health care if federal cut­ backs occur. Regardless o f governm ent action or inaction, health care consum ers and provid­ ers continue to struggle with the econom ics o f rising health care costs. Health policy is created by a com bination o f forces in government, the health care and insurance industries, and the medical profes­ sion. Doctors, elected officials, regulators, hos­ pital administrators, and insurance com panies determine the cost, availability, and quality of health care. As an academ ic discipline, health policy includes the study o f legislative, regula­ tory, and statistical inform ation traditionally found in governm ent publications, as well as literature in the fields o f econom ics, politics, m edicine, business, sociology, and m anage­ ment. O ne o f the challenges facing those w ho study health policy is its interdisciplinary na­ ture. T he World W ide W eb, w hich has n o walls or shelves, allows the user to create virtual in­ terdisciplinary collections containing very cur­ rent information at a level o f detail that until recently was available only at large research libraries. B est startin g points This core list o f gateway sites provides an in­ troduction to health policy resources on the Internet. It can also b e used to stay abreast o f new and changing sites. • H e a lth A d m i n i s t r a t i o n R e s o u r c e s . This is a joint venture o f Mercer University At­ lanta Computer Center and Georgia State Uni­ versity Institute o f Health Administration. Links include health administration associations, uni­ versity programs in health administration, and health administration-related listservs and ar­ chives. A cce ss : http://www.m ercer.peachnet. edu/ www/health/health ‚html. • Y a h o o : H ealth . Y ah o o ’s “Health” direc­ tory is subdivided into many categories, includ­ ing “h e a lth c a r e ,” “h ea lth a d m in istra tio n ,” “h ea lth in s u ra n c e ,” and “in s titu te s .” T h e s e subdirectories contain hom epages for health care players such as com panies, universities, and g o v e rn m e n t a g e n c ie s . A c c e s s : http:// www.yahoo.com/Health/. • MedWeb: H ealth C are R efo rm . This site from Emory University includes a com prehen­ sive list o f health care sites. Full-text documents include the M e d ic a r e 1 9 9 5 H a n d b o o k and the G lo ssa ry o f H e a lth S ta n d a r d s . A ccess: http:// w w w . c c . e m o r y .e d u / W H S C L / m e d w e b . healthreform .htm l. • H ealthS eek. A directory o f more than 240 sites containing industry-related news for the health care community. Sites are grouped into topical categories such as research and or­ ganizations. A c c e ss : http://w w w .healthseek. com. Lynne M. Stuart is hum anities librarian/general reference at Pennsylvania State University, e-mail: lms@psulias.psu.edu; D ena Holiman Hutto is documents librarian/cataloger a t Penn State, e-mail: dhh@psulias.psu.edu http://www.mercer.peachnet http://www.yahoo.com/Health/ http://www.cc.emory.edu/WHSCL/me http://www.healthseek mailto:lms@psulias.psu.edu mailto:dhh@psulias.psu.edu 2 0 /C&RL News G o ve rn m en t so urces The federal governm ent’s rapidly expanding network o f Internet resources now rivals printed government documents in its coverage o f pro­ posed or enacted legislation and regulations. Most government agencies at the federal and state levels are replacing public access elec­ tronic bulletin boards with World Wide Web hypertext documents. As a result, current bills, laws, and regulations that were formerly avail­ able only through expensive commercial on­ line services or through difficult-to-use free services are now available directly to libraries, businesses, or the public in a user-friendly form. • GPO A ccess. The Government Printing Office introduced GPO Access via a handful of library-sponsored “gateway” sites beginning in late 1994. Now a centralized Superintendent of Documents Home Page provides free public access to each o f these library “gateways,” many with W eb page interfaces, at one Internet ad­ dress. Congressional bills, public laws, reports, calendars, the F e d e r a l Register, the U.S. Code, the C o n g ressio n a l R ecord, E c o n o m ic In dicators, and the Government Accounting Office “blue b o o k ” reports are available as separate elec­ tronic files that can be searched separately or in any combination. Bibliographic databases for locating printed government documents and in­ formation for obtaining paid subscriptions to GPO Access are also available. A ccess: http:// www.a ccess.g p o. gov/su_docs/. • D e p a rtm e n t o f H e a lth a n d H u m an S ervices– P o licy In fo rm a tio n . Pending leg­ islation, new laws and regulations pertaining to health care, information about HHS programs, and Congressional testimony by agency offi­ cials. See also links to HHS-sponsored research and other HHS agency W eb sites. A ccess: http: //www.os.dhhs.gov/. • HCFA (H ealth C are F in a n cin g A dm in­ is tra tio n ). Medicare and Medicaid program in­ formation, including regulations, statistics on program usage and cost, physician payment schedules, and demographics o f program us­ ers. See also HCFA’s parent W eb site, the So­ cial Security Administration’s Social Security On Line ( http://www.ssa.gov/) for summaries of recent legislation. A ccess: http://www.ssa.gov/ hcfahp2.html. • Fin anceN et. This federally sponsored in­ dependent Web site is a popular starting point for anyone seeking government budget infor­ mation. Especially valuable to health care re­ searchers is an electronic version o f the “Green B ook ," an annual publication from the U.S. House o f Representative’s Committee on Ways and Means that details the cost and usage of federal entitlem ent programs. Also provides links to the U.S. budget, U.S. G o v e r n m e n t M an u a l, the OMB (Office o f Management and Budget) Resource Page, and budgets o f state a n d lo c a l g o v e r n m e n ts . A c c e s s : http:// www.financenet.gov/. • W e l c o m e to t h e W h ite H o u s e : A Citizen’s In te ra c tiv e H an db oo k. In addition to the White House tour and first family pho­ tos, the White House’s W eb site includes texts o f presidential speeches, press releases, and m ajor policy docum ents about the Clinton Administration’s own health care initiatives, as well as its responses to congressional propos­ als. Links to other federal government sites are provided. A ccess: http://www.whitehouse.gov. • S tateSearch. The National Association of State Information Resource Executives (NASIRE) maintains this subject directory o f state gov­ ernment information sources on the Internet. At this writing, 22 states have resources listed in the “Health, Human Services, and W elfare” subject directory. A ccess: http://www.state.ky. us/nasire/NASIREhome.html. • State an d L ocal G o v ern m en t o n th e Net. A comprehensive collection o f sites by and about state governments. Includes links to in­ dividual states and state agencies, as well as to national organizations o f state and local gov­ ernments and federal resources for state and local governments. A “quick search” option al­ lows sitewide keyword searching. A ccess: http: //www.piperinfo.com/–piper/states/states.html. • W o rld H e a lth O rg a n iz a tio n (W H O ) W orld Wide W eb S erver. Information on in­ ternational programs that aim to improve world­ wide access to health care. Electronic versions of W orld H ealth Report, newsletters, catalogs of WHO publications, and a link to WHOSIS, the WHO Statistical Information System. Access: http://www.who.ch/Welcome.html. • D e m o g r a p h ic a n d H e a lth S u rv e y s (DHS). Results o f national health surveys in developing countries, funded mainly by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Publications and data are available for Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. A ccess: http://www.macroint.com/dhs. Aca d e m ic/re se a rch sites • U rb an In stitu te’s H ealth P o licy C en ­ te r. The Health Policy Center addresses issues http://www.os.dhhs.gov/ http://www.ssa.gov/ http://www.ssa.gov/ http://www.financenet.gov/ http://www.whitehouse.gov http://www.state.ky http://www.piperinfo.com/%e2%80%93piper/states/states.html http://www.who.ch/Welcome.html http://www.macroint.com/dhs Ja n u a ry 1 9 9 6 /2 1 that arise from the inevitable trade-offs among health care costs, access, and quality. T he site includes full-text material and bibliographies o f books, papers, presentations, and articles. A ccess: http://www.urban.org/ar94/centers/ hp0 0 .htm. • I n t e r g o v e r n m e n t a l H e a l t h P o l i c y P ro je c t (IH P P ). B ased at G eorge Washington University, the IHPP is on e o f the few Internet sites devoted to the study o f health care policy at the state and local levels. This site describes research projects, publications, and a subscrip­ tion legislative tracking service. It also includes table o f contents information for State H ea lth Notes, the project’s biw eekly newsletter. A ccess: http://www.gwu.edu/~ihpp/shnold.html. • RAND. Rand is a nonprofit institution that works to improve public policy through re­ search and analysis. Its site contains abstracts o f research reports from 1990 to the present that cover health-related topics such as man­ aged care. RAND R e s e a r c h R eview , w hich pre­ views reports three times a year, appears in full text. A ccess: http://www.rand.org/. A sso cia tio n s Professional associations with World W ide W eb sites typically provide contact information and statements o f purpose. Many sites also contain newsletters, policy documents, and other full- text material related to their missions and ac­ tivities. • AMA (A m e ric a n M edical A ss o c ia tio n ). Nearly 300,000 physicians and medical students form the mem bership o f the AMA. T he site con ­ tains the table o f contents and abstracts from the J o u r n a l o f th e A m e r ic a n M e d ic a l A s s o c ia ­ tion (JAMA) and other journals. T he full text of press releases and AMA N ew s are available as well as other selected material. A ccess: http:// www.ama-assn.org/. • HFMA (H e a lth c a r e F in a n c ia l M an age­ m e n t A s s o c ia tio n ). This is the organization for almost 33,000 financial m anagem ent pro­ fessionals em ployed by integrated delivery sys­ tems, long-term and ambulatory care facilities, managed care organizations, medical practice groups, hospitals, public accounting and con ­ sulting firms, insurance com panies, government agencies, and other organizations. HFMA’s W eb site prom otes its educational programs and con ­ ferences. A ccess: http://www.hfma.org. • N a tio n a l A s s o c i a t i o n o f I n s u r a n c e C o m m is s io n e rs (NAIC). This is the organiza­ tion o f insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District o f Columbia, and the four U.S. ter­ ritories. T he NAIC provides a forum for the de­ velopm ent o f uniform policy. Its W eb site in­ cludes abstracts from the J o u r n a l o f I n s u r a n c e R eg u la tio n . A clickable United States map en­ ables users to retrieve hom ep ages o f state in­ surance com m issioners, w hich provide access to state regulations, information, and products. A ccess: http://www.naic.org/. • HCLA (H e a lth C a re Liability A lliance). This national advocacy coalition supports ef­ fective federal health care liability reform to e n h a n c e the fairn ess, tim elin ess, and cost- effectiveness o f the civil justice system in re­ solving health care injury disputes. Members are individuals and organizations representing physicians, hospitals, liability insurers, health d ev ice m anufacturers, health c a re insurers, businesses, producers o f m edicines, and the b io tec h n o lo g y industry. It con tain s full-text press releases, fact sheets, opinion poll research, statem ents, and excepts o f Congressional testi­ mony. The W eb site is maintained by Fleishman- Hillard, a public relations firm. A ccess: http:// www.wp.com/hcla/. • EHMA (E u r o p e a n H e a lth c a re M an age­ m e n t A s s o c ia tio n ). EHMA’s mission is to im­ prove health care within the European Union by raising standards o f managerial perform ance in the health sector. An electronic newsletter, news releases, and policy statements are avail­ able. A ccess: http://www.iol.ie/~ehma/. J o u r n a ls Most health policy journal Internet sites pro­ vide abstracts and ordering information rather than full electronic text. T o locate full-text news­ letters and news release o f specific organiza­ tions and governm ent agencies, search for the organization or agen cy’s Internet site. • H e a l t h C a r e F i n a n c i n g R e v i e w . The journal o f the Health Care Financing Adminis­ tration contains articles abou t all asp ects o f health care administration with particular fo­ cus on Medicare and Medicaid. This site in­ cludes author’s abstracts for 1994 to date. A c ­ cess: http://www.ssa.gov/hcfa/ord/absum95. html. • H e a l t h P o l i c y P a g e . This site is a com ­ p onent part o f I d e a C en tral, a virtual magazine o f the Electronic Policy Network. T he maga­ zine is edited by Paul Starr. T h e H e a lth P o licy P a g e includes articles, reports, and statistics about health care policy in America. Much o f the material com es from leading policy research http://www.urban.org/ar94/centers/ http://www.gwu.edu/~ihpp/shnold.html http://www.rand.org/ http://www.ama-assn.org/ http://www.hfma.org http://www.naic.org/ http://www.wp.com/hcla/ http://www.iol.ie/~ehma/ http://www.ssa.gov/hcfa/ord/absum95 2 2 / C&RL News and advocacy organizations. Access: http:// ep n .org/idea/health.html. • H e a lt h S e r v ic e s R e s e a r c h . This jour­ nal is published bimonthly for the Hospital Re­ search and Educational Trust by Health Admin­ is tr a tio n P re s s in c o o p e r a t io n w ith th e Association for Health Services Research. It is the official journal o f the Association for Health Services Research. The site contains ten-year su bject and author ind exes. Access: http:// www.xnet.com/~hret/hsr.htm. • J o u r n a l o f H e a lt h P o litic s , P o lic y a n d L aw . The focus o f this journal from Duke Uni­ versity Press is an interdisciplinary approach to health policy research. This site includes cu­ mulative 20-year author and subject indexes. Access: http://www.pitt.edu/~jhppl/jhppl.html. H ealth care industry Individual com panies are a growing category o f health care Internet sites. Many contain use­ ful information about the business o f health care. • HCIA, INC. The Health Care Information Company develops and markets clinical and financial decision support systems to hospitals, integrated delivery systems, managed care or­ ganizations, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. T h e com p any d evelop s d atabases used to benchmark clinical performance and outcomes, management costs, and delivery o f health care services. Access: http://157.199.4.32/index.html. • Group Health Cooperative. This mem­ ber-governed managed health care organiza­ tion serves m ore than 5 00,000 m em bers in Washington state and Idaho. Its site illustrates how this type o f organization delivers quality care to its members. Access: http://www.ghc. org/. • Mayo Clinic. The clinic is a team prac­ tice that serves 40,000 patients a year in five states. Its W eb server includes statistics on busi­ ness operations at individual facilities and throughout the Mayo health system. A key-word search engine provides topical access. Access: http://www.mayo.edu/. • Merck & Co., Inc. This pharmaceutical products and services com pany has created a W eb site that includes research reports, prod­ uct information, and a hypertext version o f its 1994 annual report. Access: http://www.merck. com :80/. ■ http://www.pitt.edu/~jhppl/jhppl.html http://157.199-4.32/index.html http://www.ghc http://www.mayo.edu/ http://www.merck Ja n u a ry 1 9 9 6 /2 3 CQ’s Washington Alert is the best online legislative tracking service available anywhere. “Washington Alert i s ... an outstanding example of innovation in content and search capabilities ... an all-around political information service.” — Mick O’Leary The Online 100: ONLINE® Magazine’s Field Guide to the 100 Most Important Online Databases (1995) And now you don’t have to take just our word for it. I f you’re using another service, consider Alert’s sophisticated, yet easy-to-use search this: out o f 5,000 online services, CQ’s technology were at the top o f the list. Washington Alert was the only online Most important, Washington Alert was legislative tracking service to be included in praised for upholding “the principles that The Online 100. 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