Please be aware the Wyoming Healthcare Commission was officially dissolved on April 30, 2009. The Commission made arrangements for this website to be accessible until September 1, 2010.
Database Background
To request a copy of the Wyoming Healthcare Commission Statistical Handbook (February 2008) please contact the Wyoming Healthcare Commission at whcc@state.wy.us
To download a copy of the Wyoming Healthcare Commission Statistical Handbook (December 2006) CLICK HERE.
All too often, we are influenced by insufficient information and rumor when making healthcare policy decisions. Whether it is pinpointing the training programs we need, or examining our ability to deliver services in our most rural areas, this information can be a critical piece to better decision-making.
-Dave Freudenthal, Governor of Wyoming
Meeting the healthcare needs of the residents of Wyoming is a complex and often difficult mission for our state’s policymakers, educators and healthcare professionals. The absence of an effective healthcare workforce information system hampers efforts to address workforce shortages, measure the success of programs and forecast future trends.
In 2005, the Wyoming Healthcare Commission (WHCC) undertook a project under the direction of the Wyoming State Legislature to develop an information repository to assist in policymaking efforts. The WHCC formed a partnership with the Health Professions Tracking Center (HPTC) from the University of Nebraska Medical Center to accomplish this task.
While the information in the database is by no means complete, its uses are wide-ranging. As the database continues to develop, it can provide information on physicians, physicians assistants, advanced practice nurses, dentists, pharmacists, pharmacies, medical clinics, acute care centers and hospitals.
Potential Uses
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS DATABASE USE POLICY
- Monitor federal and state programs implemented to aid recruitment and retention efforts
- Make decisions regarding workforce, educational, and strategic planning
- Monitor healthcare trends in areas such as workforce movement, service delivery, and patient activity
- Identify new recruitment and retention efforts
- Provide accurate shortage area designations
- Provide reliable information for grant applications
- Improve the coordination of services for proper referrals
- Bolster the capacity to rapidly retrieve critical information for emergency preparedness efforts
- Produce GIS products for mapping workforce distributions and trends
We gratefully acknowledge the Wyoming Office of the Governor, Wyoming Legislature and Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee, Wyoming Department of Health, Wyoming Boards of Medicine, Pharmacy and Nursing and the Wyoming Dental Licensing Board for their assistance with this project.
Collected Data
The Wyoming Healthcare Commission currently gathers demographic and practice location data for physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, dentists, pharmacists, pharmacies, medical clinics, acute care centers and hospitals.
In late 2005 and early 2006, surveys were sent to each of the licensees and locations. Based on the information received from these surveys and subsequent research, the HPTC was able to focus its efforts on licensees who have current Wyoming licenses and practice in Wyoming. The next cycle of surveys was sent in mid-2006 to ask additional research questions of these professionals. The third cycle of surveying began in February 2007 and is currently underway.