Louisiana Launches Data Collaboration to Improve Health Outcomes

Louisiana—one of several states working to advance public health by strengthening data collaboration—recently launched a pilot project aimed at improving outcomes among women, infants, and children. With support from The Pew Charitable Trusts, the state Office of Public Health (OPH) and Medicaid agency will work together to increase enrollment in WIC, the federal program formally known as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

WIC participation is consistently associated with reductions in infant mortality, as well as improvements in a range of health markers including diet quality and rates of preventive care. Maternal and child health is of particular concern in Louisiana, which has a 14% preterm birth rate, 7.7 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births, and a maternal mortality rate of 41.9 per 100,000.

The 18-month pilot project in Louisiana is part of Pew’s efforts to help states improve health with data that they already have. Strengthening data use and collaboration between state public health agencies and Medicaid programs can give leaders a more complete view of needs and priorities in their state and can help them reduce inefficiencies, deliver more effective interventions, and lower costs while keeping the population healthier.

With support from Pew, OPH and Louisiana Medicaid, which both are housed within the Louisiana Department of Health, will establish a dedicated interagency data and analytics team of subject-matter experts, data scientists, and program leaders from both agencies to collaborate on exchanging and analyzing data—and ultimately to translate that data into coordinated action improving the health of Louisiana residents.

The long-term goal of this initiative is to sustain the data collaboration model and apply it to a wide array of health challenges to help direct population health strategies in Louisiana. Pew is implementing similar partnerships in other states in pilot projects that, together, will inform a set of resources and best practices that any state can use to improve outcomes and lower costs through Medicaid-public health data collaboration.

By launching this initiative, Louisiana is fostering a more connected, data-driven approach to public health that enables agencies to act earlier, target resources more effectively, and improve health outcomes at scale. 

Elyssa Glickstein is a senior associate and David Hyun is the director with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ state health solutions project.