Data Gathering and Dissemination
György Bèla Fritsche, Robert Soeters, Bruno Meessen, Cedric Ndizeye, Caryn Bredenkamp, Godelieve van Heteren · 2014
Asserts that data gathering and usage remain central to performance-based financing (PBF) systems, and if well applied, leads to better data quality and availability at all levels—from the smallest health center to the health ministry. Linking data to payment changes data management, and newly-developed web-based information technology solutions form the backbone of PBF administrative systems. Better-quality data and data-driven systems, however, require enhancing data analysis capabilities at all levels. Establishing a functional PBF web-enabled application requires both clearly defined system requirements and technical information and communication technology (ICT) support from a systems developer or programmer to (1) match requirements to existing PBF applications, (2) configure the system to local requirements, (3) develop custom reports, (4) train end users, and (5) plan for maintenance, security, and continuous development. Examples of PBF data centers from Rwanda and Burundi show how data gathering and dissemination can be effective in different country contexts.