NORC has been contracted by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH), to develop and implement a web-based system for collecting, reporting, disseminating/sharing performance- and results-oriented data and information relative to OMH’s mission.  The Performance Improvement and Management System (PIMS) will be an integrated, one-stop, web-based tool and resource to help OMH and other stakeholders to improve the strategic focus of their efforts, use evidence-based performance measures and practices in program planning and evaluation, and improve evaluation of program activities to determine outcomes and impacts achieved.  Findings will be used primarily by OMH, OMB, other HHS leadership and program managers, and OMH and HHS partners engaged in work related to OMH’s mission.  In addition, the findings will be useful to all of those in both the public and private sectors whose missions and purpose are to improve the health of racial/ethnic minorities and ameliorate racial and ethnic health care and health status disparities in the U.S.  The PIMS will integrate three main functions:

1) A publicly-accessible performance and evaluation section which will include:  (a) Information on OMH-specific performance measures, program logic models, and evaluation guidelines and protocols; (b) A searchable database of performance measures for non-OMH partners to select from relative to the outcomes/impacts outlined in the OMH Strategic Framework; (c) Other resources and materials on performance measurement, logic models, and evaluation; and (d) Information and reports of completed and ongoing OMH policy-relevant studies and evaluation efforts linked to the OASPE Policy Information Center database.

2) An internal performance information management system, built on OMH’s current Uniform Data Set (UDS), for the submission of activity- and, more importantly, performance-oriented data on all key OMH-funded programs (including demonstration grants) and initiatives–to enable analyses and performance reporting for GPRA, PART, and other purposes; and

3) A searchable “best practices” repository of ‘promising,’ ‘best,’ ‘model,’ and ‘evidence-based’ practices to guide planning, intervention effectiveness, and continuous improvement on minority health/health disparities issues.