On August 23, NASHP staff hosted an informational call about NASHP’s upcoming Financial Data Learning Collaborative. State officials were invited to learn more about the collaborative’s goals and structure, expectations for participants, and the application process. This Q&A reflects attendee questions and offers more details on the collaborative to prospective applicants. For more information, please see the call for applicants.
When does the collaborative begin?
NASHP plans to convene participating states for the first time in October 2023 and to hold monthly meetings with all participating states until October 2024. Meetings will be primarily virtual, with the potential opportunity for in-person convening(s).
How should states form their teams?
Teams may include up to four members, all of whom should be employees of the state. Suggested state team members are listed in the call for applicants. NASHP encourages state teams to consist of members from across multiple agencies so that states’ participation in the collaborative can support the development of a cross-agency data–sharing and data–review infrastructure.
What does the commitment to the collaborative look like for a state team?
NASHP expects all participating state teams and all team members to attend each monthly meeting. The collaborative also offers technical assistance (TA) opportunities for individual state teams to meet with NASHP staff and invited experts for state-specific support. States are not required to participate in TA calls outside group meetings every month, but NASHP strongly prefers applicants who plan to take full advantage of the additional opportunities for support.
To what extent do states need to articulate their learning objectives and/or policy goals in the collaborative application?
State applicants should express as specifically as possible in their application why they would like to join the collaborative. States need not know exactly how they will use hospital and health system data or what potential policy interventions they may develop, but applicants should describe what they are looking to learn from the collaborative and how they intend to employ skills gained over the course of their participation. States’ learning goals as stated in team applications will also assist NASHP in developing and honing the collaborative’s curriculum.
Does NASHP expect state teams to produce specific deliverables throughout or at the conclusion of the collaborative?
NASHP does not expect states to successfully advance legislation or policy because of participation in the collaborative. However, the collaborative is designed to support state policy goals. Collaborative sessions may include exercises through which states can demonstrate their learnings based on state interests. The learnings may help states with proposed legislation or policy and/or help to shape that state’s future policy efforts.
