Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health is a large-scale federal project which seeks to improve community and individual health outcomes while reducing healthcare disparities through better coordination and data sharing between public health and medical sectors.

In July 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) selected CMSS to participate in this five-year initiative aimed at enhancing connectivity, coordination, and collaboration between the U.S. public health system and the healthcare system.  

Program Details:  

During the first year of the program, CMSS will conduct a comprehensive gap analysis to identify and prioritize opportunities for improved collaboration between medical specialties and public health. The goals of the gap analysis are to: 

• Create an inventory of challenges hindering effective linkages between medicine and public health. 
• Understand how disconnects between public health and medicine may contribute to health disparities and health inequities. 
• Assess the existing capacity of medical specialty societies to support their physician members in addressing these challenges. 
• Analyze current and past efforts to improve linkages between public health and medicine and document what we can learn from them. 

The clinical focus areas of the gap analysis will include CDC’s strategic public health priorities, such as maternal and child health, mental health, substance use treatment and prevention, and chronic disease prevention and management. The gap analysis will be informed by a literature review as well as focus groups and interviews with specialty societies, and clinicians and stakeholders in the public health community at the national, state and local levels. Based on the findings of the gap analysis, CMSS will present to CDC a set of recommendations and an action plan for building capacity of specialty societies to strengthen linkages between medicine and public health.  

This initiative represents a significant step towards fostering a more integrated and effective health system that bridges the gap between public health and clinical practice. 

Partner Programs:

In addition to this initiative, CDC has issued two supplemental awards that expand the program’s reach and impact:

Supporting medical education and training for health care providers about early onset breast cancer and select gynecologic cancers

In partnership with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), CMSS received a supplemental award that will enhance physician education around early onset breast cancer, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, and select gynecologic cancers. The program will develop innovative continuing medical education resources that address risk factors, prevention, treatment, and survivorship. Educational content will be delivered through multiple formats including online modules, podcasts featuring patient stories, and practical communication tools for provider-patient discussions. This program builds on ACOG’s previous work with CDC on prevention and early diagnosis of early onset breast cancer and gynecologic cancers. The educational resources will be disseminated across CMSS’s network of medical specialty societies.

Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures for colorectal cancer screening

Through this supplemental award, CMSS will partner with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) to develop new healthcare quality measures for follow-up of abnormal colorectal cancer screening results. Working with a multi-stakeholder advisory panel of experts in gastroenterology, primary care, pathology, health plans and health systems, the partner organizations will create and test proposed HEDIS measures based on Electronic Clinical Data Systems. The project will begin with a comprehensive evidence review, followed by measure development and field testing with participating health plans and systems. This collaboration will seek to establish standardized quality metrics to improve follow-up care for patients with abnormal colorectal cancer screening results, ultimately strengthening cancer prevention and early detection efforts.

Contact:  

Sarah Imhoff, MPA, Senior Program Director 

Acknowledgement:  

The Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health program is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award to the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) totaling $1,563,853 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of nor endorsement, by CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.