Interstate compacts are contracts between two or more states to agree on an issue. States use compacts as a legal relationship to address an issue. Indiana currently participates in 35 Interstate compacts. Indiana does not currently participate in any compacts around health professional licensure. This Interstate Licensure Compacts brief provides an overview of Recognition of EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact (REPLICA).
The health workforce is the foundational element of health care delivery, contributing to priorities such as quality and spending. Health care delivery system reforms cannot succeed without attention to this workforce. The mission of the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy (Bowen Center) is to improve population health by contributing to informed health workforce policy through data management, community engagement, and original research. To achieve this mission, the Bowen Center has partnered with the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), and the Department of Workforce Development (DWD).
Dissemination of high quality health workforce information is a primary mechanism for promoting health policy discussion among health care leaders in Indiana. The Bowen Center is charged with leveraging health workforce data to conduct needs assessments, workforce evaluations and develop data visualization tools. The center also regularly provides technical assistance to stakeholders throughout Indiana and across the country who submit requests for data collection, analysis and assistance with federal health professional shortage designations. Such efforts aim to inform the work of educators, health care administrators and policymakers.
In order to support the translation of data and research into action, the Bowen Center is committed to providing a forum for stakeholders that supports information sharing, idea generation, and consensus building, and serves as a platform for collaboration with policy makers and community leaders. The center currently provides administrative support and technical assistance to the Governor’s Health Workforce Council, which aims to coordinate initiatives, policies and programs related to the health workforce. This council, led by DWD, provides a forum for research, in-depth discussions and collaborative work that impact health workforce policy and, ultimately, improves population health.
The State of Indiana recognizes the importance of strengthening and retaining the behavioral health workforce in order to 1) tackle the opioid epidemic and 2) expand the workforce to areas in greatest need of mental health care. Financial incentives focused on workforce recruitment and/or retention are frequently used as a strategy to increase workforce capacity, reduce turnover, and reduce burnout. Student loan repayment assistance programs are one such strategy. These programs generally offer professionals relief from the administrative and economic stress of repaying student debt in exchange for practicing in underserved areas or with underserved populations for a specified time period.
In 2014, the Indiana Family and Social Services Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) implemented a Mental Health and Addiction Services Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) targeting behavioral health professionals. The Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy (Bowen Center) was contracted by DMHA to perform an evaluation of the LRAP. The primary objectives of the evaluation were to 1) identify successful outcomes associated with the program and 2) determine areas in need of improvement. The following report describes the evaluation methods, discusses results, identifies successes, and offers recommendations for future program improvement
The Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy (Bowen Center) has a rich history of collecting, analyzing and disseminating health workforce data and research for the State of Indiana. These efforts are important to informing health workforce policy and planning initiatives throughout the State. The physician workforce has long been regarded as the backbone of the health care system, making the collection and dissemination of timely data on supply and distribution critical to informing these initiatives. The 2017 Indiana Physician Fact Sheet presents key information collected from the physician licensure survey administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency during the biennial license renewal cycle. As of November 2017, 27,473 physicians renewed their Indiana medical license. Of these, 11,085 self-identified as actively practicing in medicine and had a license address located within the State of Indiana. Demographically, the majority of Indiana’s physician workforce is male, white and non-Hispanic. Data demonstrate demographic shifts are occurring among Indiana physicians as a larger percentage of female physicians are in younger age groups as compared to male physicians. This is expected as more female physicians are entering this workforce. Data on the practice characteristics, specialty and geographic distribution, of Indiana physicians suggest trends similar to those observed nationally. The majority of Indiana’s physician workforce is concentrated in populous, urban areas, and over 60% of physicians report a specialty other than a primary care (Family Medicine/General Practice, General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology) or psychiatric (Adult/Child Psychiatry) specialty. Additional details on the demographic and practice characteristics of Indiana’s physician workforce are described and presented in this report. In addition to providing information on the overall physician workforce, this report also contains sub-sections specifically dedicated to primary care physicians and psychiatrists. The 2017 Indiana Physician Fact Sheet is a snapshot of Indiana’s physician workforce and offers key information that can be used to determine the best practices for improving health care for Indiana residents.
The following recommendations for Indiana’s Addiction Counselor Workforce were generated as a result of findings within this report, including: review and analysis of licensure data, state statute & rules, a literature review on occupational regulation, stakeholder engagement, and national environmental scan. Recommendations represent the synthesis of the information presented throughout the report.
To provide public comment on this document, please email comment to the Bowen Center at bowenctr@iu.edu. Public comment will be uploaded to this homepage and Bowen Staff may publish responses to commentary.